The Remnant
by Chromitez
Summary: Perseus was the name whispered of a Spartan prince of old in hushed tones. It was said that never had there been another Demigod born to match his skill. This mattered little to the Gods when he was cast from most of their graces and left to rot with his fallen homeland. They failed to consider that one day they may need Percy again, and that mistake might cost them their world.
1. Chapter 1

**Hello beautiful people. So, I've had this idea for a while now and originally wanted to make something like this for my first fic, but I decided against it for some reason and went on with Legacy. I guess it was a heat of the moment thing and I got a little excited about my idea for Legacy, but eh, can't do anything about it now :P.**

 **I feel like while some of the things and components I intend to use in here for the plot may be overused by others as well, for the most part, I believe it will be fairly original. Not sure how long I am going to keep things in the ancient era for, but eventually I intend to reach the book stages. For those of you hoping this will be historically accurate in terms of all the battles and such, sorry, but no. I will be using areas from the time period of the Peloponnesian Wars, however, the battles I create will not be the same. There will be as many historically accurate characters as I need in the story. If I make a mistake with them, I apologize in advance.**

 **NOTICE: This is just a prologue. It will be a short 2k words or so. My chapters after this will be 4k words or more.**

 **Anyway, I'll stop talking now, hope you all enjoy!**

 **Disclaimer: I do not own any of the characters or plotline moments from the PJO books. All rights go to Rick Riordan aside from my OC's and perhaps the earlier plotline.**

Prologue

A man sat alone at a table in the earliest hours of the day as dawn broke through the formerly darkened sky. He stared down at all the separate pieces on the map in front of him with a hand to his chin. He'd been in this position for hours trying to think of some strategy that might be able to aid in the war of his country, but as of this moment, he was at a loss.

He glanced up as a gust of cool air rose the hair on his arms. Turning to look at the entrance to his unnecessarily large tent, he saw one of his Guards standing between the flaps that acted as the door.

"Polemarch sir." The man said with a bow. "Commander Andros is here for you."

"Ah, is it morning already then? Very well send him in." The man at the table sighed.

The guard gave another bow then turned and exited, his blood red cape fluttering in his wake as another man walked in. This one had on the same cape; however the helmet held between his hand and torso was very different, and his armour was more decorated. Not as much as that of the Polemarch's of course, but almost. His helm was golden bronze in a Corinthian fashion for the colour of the Polemarch's personal guard and was topped by a blood red plume travelling its length from back to front. His armour, also golden bronze, had white stone etchings going down the sides of its chest piece, and intricate designs made on his forearm gauntlets and greaves.

"Prince Perseus sir." The man bowed, just as the guard before had done.

"Oh please Andros, no need to be so formal. You were with Adrastus and the army of Elis for a mere moon's cycle and you've changed so much already." Perseus scoffed with a smirk on his face.

The man rose from his bow with a smile and walked forward, extending his arm, and catching Perseus' forearm in a warrior's grip. Andros was tall, dark of hair, and kept a long beard in the fashion of many Spartan men. His eyes showed the stress of many years of soldiering and wisdom, however, his face was still quite youthful as the man himself only had twenty-five years under his belt. Like Perseus and his entire personal guard, the man was a demigod. A son of Nike to be exact.

"It is good to see you again my friend!" The man exclaimed.

"Likewise my old companion." The prince of Sparta returned the smile and gripped back.

As the warrior's arms dropped down to their sides, the Prince turned and looked back at the table that had held his attention for the apparent entirety of the night. Andros walked over to his side and examined the table as well. The man let out a low whistle looking at all the army pieces sitting on the part of the map that read _Sparta._

"So it seems the rumours are true, most of our forces remain in the capital!" He huffed, angered.

"Aye, it would seem my dear uncle is reluctant to send the bulk of our strength out of the homelands with the threat of another Persian invasion hidden around any corner. I blame him not, now would be the perfect time for those eastern bastards to strike. Greece is in chaos, and until we can end this pitiful Delian League by razing Athens to the ground and cutting the head off the serpent, then it will remain that way." Perseus sighed.

"I know nothing of politics brother so I am afraid I cannot comment on our standpoint with the Persian dogs, but I feel as if this is a mistake." Andros said as he looked up from the board.

The prince made no comment. Publicly he had to encourage his uncle's actions, as he was of his blood and his mother had requested it. However, in his true thoughts, he couldn't help but agree with Andros. To send only a small portion of the Spartan army at the white city of Athens and expect victory was quite the stretch, but due to the reputation Perseus had built for himself he supposed it was a compliment to his capabilities. After all, he had been handpicked to lead them.

As one of the youngest Polmarchs of the Spartan army with his current age of nineteen, the name Perseus was something of a legend in the city-state of Sparta. The fact that he was a demigod didn't hurt either, of that he was sure. His mother Sallia had been seduced by Poseidon years ago resulting in his birth. He had no claim to the throne of Sparta; as his mother was only a minor noble from some offshoot or another of the royal family, but due to his connections through blood, he was still given the title of Prince of Sparta. He had inherited the sea green eyes and tanned complexion known to many children of Poseidon, however, his mother had given him his black often unruly hair.

Perseus had won his first victory at the age of sixteen in the initial years of the war when the Athenians had made a sly move by marching straight on Corinthos, one of Sparta's strongest and most steadfast of allies. The Commander leading the Spartan relief army had fallen, and in the chaos of battle as a young officer Perseus had rallied his troops and pushed back the Athenians using his godly powers and military brilliance. He had met and slain two sons of Athena in that battle, and the Goddess of wisdom had had it out for him ever since. Just another name on the prince's godly list of enemies that grew every year with the bloody war.

"Damn Athenian greed!" Perseus exclaimed in a random outburst as he smashed his fists down on his table, scattering the pieces on the battle map everywhere. His lack of sleep was taking a toll on his mental state.

Andros could only nod in agreement. The Athenians had started this war with their greed and self-righteousness. They believed that they were the superior Greeks and that all others should rally under their banners to fight against the Persians should they ever attack again. They and their precious knowledge and democracy could rot in Tartarus for all Percy cared. Sparta followed a Hegemony and they were doing just fine with their allies. Athens would burn, and with it, maybe the arrogance of its people.

The Gods themselves were no help in the war between brothers. Many times Perseus had tried to communicate with them through his father, however the council still remained fairly neutral. Athena, of course, was on the side of Athens, and Ares had of course sided with his people and Sparta, but other than that the rest of the gods seemed content to sit back and watch their people destroy one another. Perseus had his doubts. He knew a certain King of the Gods had no love for him, believing him a "threat to Olympus". The prince inwardly chuckled at this, as though he had any ambitions to betray his Gods. His poor relationship with the lord of the skies was not his prime concern at this point in time however, so he put it aside and turned from the table.

"Get the men armed and on their feet. King Archidamus has ordered that we march for Lamia now, from there we will march for Thebai. I had decided to wait for your return before giving the order. We will descend on Athens itself with the might of Sparta and Boeotia in the North West, while the Corinthians and the rest of the Peloponnesian League assault from the south. We will surround and starve out the cowards if we have to, but by this year's end, Athens will burn brother, on my honour." Perseus said as he gathered his armour and blade. After a moment of dressing, he looked himself over in the tall glass square to the side of his tent. He had procured it off an Egyptian merchant a few years back, and it had not been cheap in the slightest, but the prince found that it helped greatly with making sure his armour was perfectly done so cost was of no great importance.

His armour was similar to that of Andros. Golden bronze with shining white etchings in some form of jewellery or another that went down the sides of the chest piece, gauntlets and greaves of the same colour with intricate designs running along their sides. His shield was of the standard hoplon fashion, however it had the red symbol of Sparta at its centre surrounded by the white stone etchings in the pattern of a laurel wreath. The texture of his helm matched that of Andros', but that was where the similarities ended. Instead of having his plume go back to front, it travelled horizontally across the top of his helm, as did that of all polemarchoi. The horsehair that made it up switched between red and black at different points in a pattern, and there was a laurel wreath design carved around the circumference of his helm to signify his rank as a prince.

"Do you not worry that what is left of Thessaly might rally and march on Lamia when we move? The Athenians could easily provide them with backing from their northern allies, and if they sent in the Ionian navy.." Andros shuddered at the thought. While the Prince may have been a son of Poseidon, even he realized his people were utterly outclassed when it came to the naval warfare aspect in their current war.

"The Ionians would not sail so far north for a target with as little value as Lamia, fear not my friend. On top of that, I believe we shattered any ambition Thessaly had when we vanquished their main force and sacked Larisa. Regardless, should Lamia fall it will be of little import, we will have the white walls of Athens while they take our minor town."

His friend nodded at this and bowed, but as he was turning to leave he stopped short and paused.

"Sir, What route do you wish to take..?" Andros said quietly.

"We take the quickest route there, on the king's order…" Perseus answered with a grim face, betraying none of the inner conflict he had in terms of the decision.

"But that means.." Andros paled.

"Aye, we shall pass by the mountain. Make sure the men know, and that they have their weapons with them at all times. I've a fair number of demigods here under my command, and we will in all likeliness attract unwanted attention."

Andros nodded to this and waited for his prince.

When ready, Perseus nodded to his reflection satisfied and turned to walk out of the tent, Andros right behind him. His guards bowed as he walked by, and as he turned left, Andros turned right. The two went their separate ways; Perseus to brood, Andros to follow his orders. The prince made his way over to a nearby hill and sat, thinking in silence. He watched as men began to run back and forth around the camp packing up and equipping themselves; though for how long he knew not as he had lost track of the time almost instantly.

Athens main force had not been seen for the past few months by any of Sparta or her allies' spies. It was a troubling thought to be sure, and it worried Perseus to no end. The Gods had yet to make a move, but regardless of their talk of ancient laws, they always interfered in mortal affairs to preserve their own interests. If they chose to aid Athens, to betray Sparta…

 _No._ Percy thought. _No, even they would not do such a thing. Sparta's cause is just, and if the Gods will not grant us victory, we shall do it alone for the glory of Greeks everywhere!_

Looking around him, the prince noticed that his men were about ready to move. He rose to his feet brushing off the leather straps of his skirting and fixing the position of his blade.

 _Now we march, Ares guide us._ He thought as he moved to join his men.

 **Right so, again, experimenting, and if this gets some attention, I'll focus on it more. By attention I mean follows, favourites, or preferably reviews, because while views are nice, I can't really tell if the people viewing like it or not. So, if you want me to keep going with this story, all you have to do, is simply let me know in one of those ways.**

 **Until next time, whenever that may be here, much love and Gods guide you all, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Chrome**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N**

 **Hey guys! I am back, maybe later than some hoped, maybe earlier than some had believed, but a writer is never late nor early, they arrive precisely when needed. My life's been a bit busy recently, got the old wisdom teeth pull out a few days back, got into this new game called War and Order on my phone that I recommend any fans of strategy to check out, and I've had to write at least a dozen tests and quizzes. You probably don't care about this, but meh, my author's note and I'll write what I want, lol.**

 **I must say I was very impressed with the attention this got. Seeing as I'm a new writer with a small following, I didn't expect this many people to be following and favoriting already, it's pretty awesome! Thank you to all who have followed and favorited, and a special thank you to all who reviewed. Seriously, as I've said before, and as any other writer would agree, your words do wonders towards keeping my morale up and making me push myself to create the best work I can. It's the best feeling in the world knowing people enjoy your content.**

 **Note to any with questions, if you ask them in the reviews, I shall answer them in here, just as I am about to do now :P.**

 **Cupcake - Glad to see you over here my friend! Legacy has been updated again if you've not already read the chapter, hope this helps :P!**

 **Zero Dark Thirty - As you'll see here, it is indeed Mount Othrys. Thank you! I've always wanted somebody to do one starting there, and when no stories emerged in the four year span I waited, I figured I'd do it myself, aha!**

 **Fin the Demi God - Glad to see you over here supporting another one of my stories! I most certainly do not write in one sitting, God that would be hard, lol! My writing is spaced out to when I'm able to find the time, and generally on my free days I'll try to write at least 1k words, unless I get a flow going and I get carried away, haha!**

 **Alright, once again thank you to all who reviewed, you're all my heroes. I'll stop rambling now and get on with it, hope you enjoy.**

 **Disclaimer in the prologue chapter.**

Chapter 1

Prophecy and Fate

It had taken a day for Perseus' host to reach the mountain, but as it came into view his men began to murmur. Dark thoughts and doubt crept into the Spartan warriors, however they spoke of such things in hushed tones lest their young leader hear them. He had known they would not like the idea of passing it by, but as the king had given the order himself there was little other choice.

Mount Othrys was huge in stature, and dwarfed its closest neighbour in height ten fold. In the ancient tales of old it had been the stronghold of the Titanomachy under Kronos, the lord of time. While Perseus knew there were many Titans still around, Kronos was not one of them, and so he realised the threat the mountain posed was minimal, aside from a few wandering monsters here and there. If he wished to journey through the garden of the hesperides, past the great hundred headed beast Ladon, then up the long winding path, he knew he would come upon Atlas himself holding up the sky. While he knew the Titan had done wrong, he pitied the poor soul. To be forced to sustain such a burden was a cruel jest by the Gods. Then again, the Gods themselves could be the cruellest of all beings combined when they felt the need.

Percy was beginning to grow uneasy with the lack of communication from Olympus as of late. Before the Spartan demigod left for his commanding post for the campaign in Thessaly, his father had come to him saying he had urgent news, but that he could not yet tell him as he needed more time to assure himself of the circumstances surrounding the topic. This had been over a half a year ago now, and still Perseus had received no word from the God of the sea.

He feared not for Poseidon's safety, after all such a thing would be silly. Why should a mortal worry for the life of a God? Still, the subject troubled the young Spartan deeply. What had his father needed to tell him that had been so important at the time, yet now seemed to hold little priority in the God's daily routines, as he hadn't even the time of day to visit his son about it again? Questions on questions constantly lined Perseus' head, all without answers, all riddles in their own right.

Alas, they were not to be answered in his given location or task at hand, so for the time being he believed it best to shove them aside for a later date.

 _I've been doing that alot lately it seems._ He thought to himself, _Maybe too often._

As his army marched on, the lack of cold air had become ever apparent as the mid day's heat took sway over the temperature around the Spartans, and soon it became too unbearable for them to handle. Professional lifelong soldiers they may have been; but all felt the basic needs of a human being, and even those of half Godly descent could fight the warmth no longer without a brief pause.

Pulling off his helmet and wiping a pool of sweat from his brow atop the back of his noble horse, Perseus called for a full halt. The men marching behind him stopped as one, unmoving like the now raised fist of their polemarch.

Percy turned to one of his nearest hoplites. The man was clad in the armour and gear of his personal demigod defenders, with his helm adorned by an ornate laurel wreath of matching material in golden bronze rather than the plume or plain coverage of a common higher class hoplite. The man gave a deep bow as Percy spoke.

"Have commander Andros alert the troops that we will be making camp here; if only for a small portion of our time. I would say the men need to rest with this bloody heat, but I too must admit I am bothered by it."

"It would seem my father is upset about something or flying too low again. More than likely the latter, or I have another accidental sibling on the way." The man joked.

"Aye, sounds about right." Percy smiled at the son of Apollo as the man hurried off to follow his order.

He dismounted his regal black steed in a quick manner and took up his reins in his left hand.

 _Master Perseus, might I be able to receive an apple or something of the sort? It is not easy to say the least having to carry someone in this dreadful heat, I feel a reward is in order here._ His horse; Mávros, spoke through his mind.

"Aye, that and more my old friend." Percy called over one of the youths from the now unpacking army, chuckling all the while. "You there, have a few fresh apples found and brought back for my noble steed here, and some clean water as well."

The young one bowed hastily and ran off in the direction of the woods.

"That was ill thought out brother." Perseus turned as another voice came from behind him.

"Why pray tell is that Andros?" He asked, curious.

"We are at the foot of the mountain Perseus. That young man will be shitting his loincloth all the while out on a simple mission to fetch your horse an unnecessary apple from the woods. A Spartan he may be, but you know even the greatest of warriors know when fear is justified, and in the shadow of that evil place.." He stopped and pointed to the mountain. "It most certainly is."

Perseus nodded slowly, perhaps his second was right. He could have just as easily gone out himself to find an apple tree. Shaking himself off from any more sweat, he began to walk past Andros.

"I shall go and fetch them myself then. Have the men ready to move upon my return, we dare not delay our mission more than absolutely necessary."

"As you wish sir, but I must insist you take a guard with you. The woods hold many things lurking in the shadows." Andros replied, unyielding.

"Nonsense! I'm a man grown, I can take care of myself." He entered the treeline quickly with a cheeky grin on his face, ignoring Andros' calls from behind him. Shifting his sword belt then grabbing his helmet strap and slinging it over his shoulder with his shield, the prince set off into the darkness of the trees.

~LB~

 _This horse better damn well enjoy it._ Perseus thought to himself as he picked the last of the apples he had found on an isolated tree from it's branches. It had taken him a good long while to find the things, but in the end he figured it was the least he could do. His stalwart companion Mávros had carried him over many miles since the first time he had ridden to battle, and the old boy's hair was beginning to grey. Perseus knew he would not see many more summers, and thus would do what he could for his friend before he left the mortal planes. Stealing one of the apples himself, Percy took a hefty bite, smiling in satisfaction as he turned around.

The sound of the apple hitting the solid dirt at Percy's feet was all that could be heard as it fell from his mouth in his state of shock, for standing in front of him now stood three old women. He scowled slightly a moment, but then the power that radiated off the trio hit him like a charging warhorse, and he knelt to the ground quickly. He knew who these three were, and he knew if they were here it did not likely bode well for his future.

"My lady fates, to what do I owe the pleasure of your visit to a humble Prince of Sparta?" The son of Poseidon spoke quickly and in a complimenting manner.

The middle women cackled, the one on the left rolled her eyes, and the one on the right simply smiled.

"Save your flattery for those that care for it boy." The one on the left spoke up.

"Nonsense Atropis you hag! The young man honours us, as is right." The woman in the middle reprimanded.

Atropis gave the middle fate a withering stare, but said no more. Satisfied, the middle fate returned her attention to Perseus; who simply stood gawking as beings of legend stood arguing like common mortals. Not that it was uncommon on Olympus by any means, but the Fates were different than the Gods.

"Close your mouth boy, we come with a prophecy. Your god Apollo is not likely to give you one with recent events.." She trailed off.

"Recent events, my lady?" Perseus questioned, confused.

"We cannot say, it is something you must experience on your own. We can however bring you this glimpse of a possible future through the riddles of our mother Ananke." From the middle fate.

The prince nodded and awaited their words.

Joining hands, the trio began to chant in one voice.

" _Confident and bold, a leader to behold, the example of virtue, yet not first shall she choose._

 _Lost in the ways of the dying days, through the shelter of a patron, shall he return just as strong._

 _The lands of war, exist no more, but through the heart of its last, a mere remnant of the past._

 _Their heroic saviour, whom by kin deemed a traitor, need ride once more, lest they march through the deathly doors._

 _A final choice to end his days, Olympus to preserve or raze."_

Together, the three voices cut out and their hands fell to their sides.

"You have been given the wisdom of fate Perseus. Take from it what you will, and do what you must. You have been forewarned, may the proper choices guide your path." The fate on the right spoke and inclined her head before all three simultaneously flashed away, causing Perseus to very rapidly avert his gaze.

"A bloody warning would've been nice.." He sighed brushing himself off, then thought on what they had said. If there was one thing in the world he hated more than Athenians and Persians, it was foolish riddles and prophecy. Why could they not simply inform him what would happen? Why cloud such an insightful piece of aid in the form of a nonsensical riddle that was likely never to be understood by the recipient?

The first line meant little to him. Clearly it had to do with a woman, and that he had no time for with his current situation in life. He was sure when he returned home to Sparta his mother would have arranged for him a strong political marriage, for more than a few noble women had already had their eyes on the handsome demigod before he became a war hero. He dreaded to think what things would be like after the conflict was over.

The second line he could not make sense of, however he assumed that by speaking of someone from dying days it meant a warrior of old; perhaps an elder demigod. He had thought this entire thing about him, but he knew not of any dying days.

 _At least not yet.._ A small voice in the back of his head spoke up, before it was quickly pushed out.

The third line was one that truly made him tremble.

 _The lands of war could mean Greece herself, Gods know we've seen enough battle in the past years to earn such a title._ He thought slowly; though he shuddered slightly at the thought, as the prophecy did state, "exist no more" right after. This was something he knew he'd have to put further thought into.

As he was about to consider the next line, the boy he'd sent out earlier into the woods burst through the bushes around him and fell face first into the clearing of Percy's apple tree.

Percy chuckled, and began to make his way over to the youngling, but the youth hastily rose to his feet. Rather than the embarrassed and apologetic expression Perseus had expected to see, he wore a mask of horror.

"Polemarch sir! You must come quickly, I fear it may be too late!" He ran back the way he came, and with a couple dozen more questions joining those that already occupied his head, Percy followed after breaking from his slight daze.

Pushing through the twigs, leaves, and the underbrush of the dark woods; Perseus struggled to keep up with the younger spartan leading him onward. He received more than a few scrapes from rogue thorns and branches than he would've liked, though the things were a minuscule annoyance at best. Eventually, he found himself bursting through the trees right behind where the boy seemed to be hiding.

"Get down sir, here with me!" The obvious hoplite in training insisted.

Perseus did as he was bid, then turned to gaze at the boy with an annoyed look.

"There had better be a good reason for all this lad, else you'll have to answer to the lash and no less."

The young man gulped slightly, then pointed behind Perseus. Sighing, the prince turned, and instantly a glare pushed his formerly annoyed features from his face. Directly in front of his line of sight stood the entrance to the Garden of the Hesperides, however it was not the location that troubled him. Standing at its front was a hulking giant of a man who wore a lion's pelt cloak upon his back and heaved a massive studded club over his shoulder. In front of that man upon their knees was a one of the most beautiful young women Perseus had ever seen.

Long midnight black braided hair ran cascading down right shoulder in the fashion that would've made Perseus assume she were a Persian princess had he not known the location. She was smaller in stature, but her stance gave off a graceful vibe even with the cold proud expression she now wore in argument with the brute to her front. It did nothing to mar her beauty however and for a moment Perseus lost his wits; captivated by it. One might even be so bold as to say enraptured. Her dark brown eyes, her copper-toned skin; why everything about the girl seemed to reach out and ensnare him where he stood.

"Sir, what should we do?" The young man beside him questioned, breaking him once again that day from his thoughts.

"Listen for now, but unless this turns violent I shall not interfere." The Polemarch responded, then tuned in his ears to listen in on the conversation across the clearing.

"You promised you would take me!" The beautiful girl exclaimed.

"Did I now? Why, I can't seem to recall saying anything of the sort." The man smirked with an egotistical expression plastered across his face.

"You filthy liar! You promised if I helped you you would take me with you away from this place!" Her scream this time sounded more desperate rather than angry.

"I see… Well, I suppose I might have said I would take you didn't I?" The brute sighed.

"Yes! Yes you did!" The girl stated, the beginning of a smile forming on her face.

"Though, I do believe that there are many ways such a statement could be interpreted. I could always take you with me, or I could simply.. Take, you." He grinned evilly as he began to advance on the now horrified girl. She turned to run but her foot got caught in a loose tree root, and Percy watched as she stumbled and fell; tears falling freely from her face now.

"Please, please no!" She screamed as she turned to try and fend the brute off while he tore at her fine white chiton dress.

It was at this point Perseus decided he had seen enough. Swiftly he rose from his position of hiding and advanced out. He drew his blade from its scabbard and hefted his shield, then hit the blade on the blood red symbol of Sparta at its center. The brute turned with an angry stare.

"Begon now if you know what's good for you Spartan, know you not who it is you wish to challenge to a fight?" The man questioned.

Rather than acknowledge him, Perseus turned back to where the younger Spartan still sat in hiding.

"Boy!" He called. "Run along and fetch Andros. Tell him to bring a few of my guards, and a large cloak." The youth fled from his position back into the woods, in the direction of the Spartan army. Percy then turned back to the large man.

"I know you, Heracles." He spat the name out as though it was poison upon his lips.

"Then you know you had best be on your way, correct? A Spartan you may be, and one of influence at that it seems, but you cannot hope to match the greatest demigod to ever live in combat!" The arrogant man exclaimed, beating his bare chest once.

"You know I've never understood why people say that? I suppose it is Zeus' work, but I think I know more than a hundred others of our kind that I'd consider greater than you. Why, it appears to me you're nothing more than a walking savage, lugging around your brutish club and all." Percy laughed as he threw on his ornate helmet and entered a battle ready stance, staring down the now fuming Heracles with an unyielding stare.

His conversation with the larger demigod had given the black haired beauty from before time to retreat to a safe distance from him. She now sat hiding behind a tree; her head peeking out ever so slightly to watch what transpired between the son of Zeus and the son of Poseidon. At the indication that Perseus himself was also a demigod, the son of Poseidon saw a glimmer of hope replace the helplessness that had formerly taken control of her eyes. Heracles hefted his club in what Perseus' supposed he thought was a menacing manner, but it only made the Spartan chuckle as he began to walk towards the big man.

With a burst of strength that the brute was famed for, Heracles swung his club in an overhead swing, bringing it down on the shield the prince had raised just in time to block it. He rolled right and thrust his blade at the Son of Zeus' side, but the man swung his club with an unnatural speed for even a demigod and batted the blade aside. The prince staggered, only just managing to retain a grip on his weapon.

"You cannot hope to defeat me you fool, back down now and crawl back to whichever minor god you've been spawned from!" Heracles taunted whilst twirling his club in one hand.

Percy spat in his direction and made his sword and shield ready once more. "I don't believe my father would take kindly to you insulting his power sir. Zeus may be king of the Gods; but Poseidon is just as powerful, and those on his bad side tend to run into some.. accidents, shall we say."

At the revelation, Heracles, instead of growing more cautious grew more enraged; just as Perseus had hoped. The huge man charged forth with a mighty yell.

"When I'm done with you I'll throw your body into the sea so that he might witness the might of a true demigod!" He yelled as he made to bring his club down once more, aimed right at the Polemarch's Spartan helm.

Rather than rase his shield this time the prince decided to sidestep, and watched in content as the massive club came crashing down into nothing but dirt and grass. He then used his shield and with as much force as he could muster, smashed it into Heracles' face. The big man struggled backwards, dropping his club to hold his now gushing nose in both hands. Perseus knew he was not done yet though, and he did not let his guard down.

As predicted, the larger demigod drew a sword from out of what seemed to Perseus like thin air, and the weapon itself truly was a work of art. Clearly Celestial Bronze, it shone in the sunlight brighter than the Prince's own ornate armour, and its edges were sharpened to perfection. Heracles grinned; blood still dripping down his nose, and readied the blade. Perseus had always been a man of honour, and now that his opponent was only using a one handed blade he decided he'd drop his shield and match him.

"That was a mistake Spartan, you'll be needing that." The son of Zeus laughed and charged again, attempting to thrust his blade into the prince's shoulder.

Perseus was not ready for the speed at which the man's strike would come, and barely managed to deflect the sword, gaining a glancing blow in the process. Blood rushed forth from his now open wound as he spun and swung his leaf-shaped short blade at the chest of Heracles. The man blocked it with a quick flick of his wrist, but instead of swinging his own sword again he lunged forth and grabbed the prince's chestplate; hoisting Perseus high up in front of him and causing the younger demigod to drop his blade. He struggled to get free, but was caught in the iron grip of Zeus' son. The Polemarch thought a moment before the realization that he still had his dagger at his side came to him, and he chastised himself for being so forgetful.

Percy swung his legs backward, then with his new momentum threw them forward into the face of his enemy. The big man's grip let up, and the prince took the opportunity to pull his knife from it's scabbard. As he fell from his former position up high, he plunged said dagger into the shoulder of Heracles, and the large man let out a roar of pain. He swatted out blindly, and sent Perseus flying back into a tree with a loud crack sound flashing across the clearing.

Groggily, Percy leaned on the now destroyed chunk of wood and watched at his angry opponent marched toward him; a look of nothing but malice clouding his features.

"I call to the powers of the sea.." The Spartan mumbled in his half conscious state. "Aid your prince.."

He raised a hand slowly, and sure enough a rumbling sound was heard in the distance. Heracles turned in its direction; clearly perplexed, just in time to get hit full force by a huge torrent of water from a nearby river. The water drove him back and he went flying further downstream, his magical sword falling from his grasp.

Slowly Perseus rose to his feet, the price of using such a large amount of his powers in his already injured state had taken a toll on him, but he had to check on the girl. He made his way over to her, stumbling, and went to a knee in front of her hesitant form.

"He shall bear you no harm from this point forward, this I swear fair lady." Perseus managed to get out, before he toppled forward, his energy lost.

To his surprise, the girl caught him as he fell. She removed his helmet and looked him in the eyes, cradling his head in her lap.

"Never have I met a hero truly of your valour brave sir, might I recieve the name of my saviour?" She questioned slowly, her eyes sparkling like the stars on a clear night.

"Perseus m'lady, my name is Perseus." He smiled slightly, but grimaced at the effort.

It was clear that at least a few of his ribs were broken, maybe his shield arm too.

"You're hurt.." She said in a depressed tone. "All for me, you poor soul.."

"I need no pity Hesperide, and you need not blame yourself. I did what I did because it was the right thing to do, as would any man of virtue." Percy coughed out, chuckling as much as he dared with his ribs.

The girl let out a sad chuckle herself. "I suppose so."

Percy heard shouts in the distance, and knew that his men were coming for him. The girl seemed to hear them too, for she began to panick. The prince put his hand on her arm to comfort her.

"All is well, the shouts belong to my men. Tell them I instructed that you were to be given anything you needed, and that you are to take my personal tent back at camp." Perseus instructed, feeling the cold grip of unconsciousness closing in.

"But my lord!" She tried to protest, only to be cut off.

"Perseus." He corrected, "Or Percy if you so wish, and there will be no protests."

Her mouth opened once more, then closed it slowly, and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, brave hero." She leaned down swiftly and pressed her lips to his, and for a moment, Percy was lost to a blissful state.

It was the second after she pulled away that the darkness took him, and he faded out of consciousness to the sound of his men drawing ever closer.

 **A/N**

 **There we go, second chapter complete! I want to say I'll stick to a schedule for this, really I do, but I just can't. I found this chapter that when I give my writing more time to flow and for ideas to come to my head, then I like the end result ten times more. That's not to say that my updates here will take months, as I assure you that would only happen maybe around exams time, but they will take longer than the one week span I'd previously been giving myself for Legacy, (Which by the way, I would really appreciate if some of you checked out! Shameless plug I know, but you gotta do whatcha gotta do).**

 **PS: Hope yall liked the prophecy, took bloody forever to think of the damned thing and I still don't think it was that great, ah well, aha.**

 **As always, I hope you all enjoyed. Much love and may the Gods guide you all, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Chrome.**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N**

 **Right so I was gone a while eh? For those of you that care, I'll explain why.**

 **A friend of mine took his life a few months back, actually a few days after I posted the last chapter to this story. I wasn't in the best of shape for a while, and just kinda lost the 'writing mood' I guess you could say after that. If any of you reading this ever have any form of suicidal thoughts, know that while I may not know you, my PM box is open if you need a person to help or talk to you. Trust me when I say sometimes just talking to somebody can make all the difference in the world. Depression and anything else that can lead to it are bitches to deal with, and if one lets the wound it leaves fester over time without seeking help, eventually it can have dire consequences..**

 **I'd like to thank every one of you who's stuck around this long. It really means more than you know. I'll not likely be taking that much time off from here again, though my updates won't be quite what you call consistent either as schooling comes first this year big time.**

 **Here's the next chapter, this is in all honesty a filler, but after that leave of absence I need something or a few somethings to get back up.**

Chapter 2

If there was one thing Perseus was used to waking up to by this point in his demigod life, it was pain. That's not to say it grew any more pleasant over time, merely that he was more accustomed to it at this point. Slowly, he tried to stretch out his throbbing limbs from his layed down position, and though it brought with it a few aches he succeeded in his endeavours, receiving a wonderful feeling as a reward as a few of his muscles popped to his satisfaction.

Groggily he opened his eyes and took in his surroundings. After his vision had grown accustomed to the onslaught of newfound lighting, he recognized that he was in his tent and scowled. Memories floated back to him from the events of.. Whenever it was his fight had taken place, and in turn he recalled that he had given instructions for his tent to be given to the woman he had encountered at the garden.

 _Unless something happened to her when I was gone._ A rogue thought ran quickly through his mind.

He attempted to rise from his position only to receive a searing pain all throughout his lower left side. Forcefully he grit his teeth and made his legs obey his will to stand, much to the protest of the rest of his body.

He looked himself over upon the completion of this action. The sword wound on his shoulder had been stitched up, as had one that had evidently been made just above his left eyebrow. Looking down he could see that under the heavy bandages that coated his ribcage was heavy swelling and what looked to be some severe bruising on top of the broken ribs themselves.

 _Lovely._ He commented dryly in his mind.

Slowly, he made his way out of his tent. He was unsure of how to feel once he saw that the camp had not moved at all since his fight. On one hand he was still well aware that they had to be moving as quickly as possible lest the entire plan of the Peloponnesian league be put at risk. On the other, this at least meant he knew where the nearest source of water was, and it was in this direction he pushed himself.

As he walked through the camp many of his men stopped what they were doing, and though they all were quick to part ways for him, they also stared in confusion. It seemed they had not thought to see him awake for a good while longer. This brought a chuckle to the Prince's lips. He had never been one to stay down for too long.

Rounding a corner, he walked out past the outskirts of his encampment and towards the fresh stream at which he could see a few of the youths from his army drawing drinking water in there buckets. He made his way past them. once again taking amusement from the gawking, and leaned forward with his arm outstretched into the stream.

For a minute nothing happened, much to Perseus' confusion. Then, almost as though it were reluctant to do so, the water began to climb up his arm and cover his body, slowly taking away all the exterior wounds and doing a great deal towards aiding in the healing process of his assumedly two broken ribs.

Once the miracle that was one of the only perks in his mind of being a Demigod had completed its work, Perseus let the water drip back down into the stream and leaned back, sighing in content.

"Well that's rather odd.." A voice commented from behind the demigod, making him turn slowly to the speaker he could easily recognize was Andros.

"What? That I'm able to heal myself with water or that you hadn't thought to do his sooner?" Perseus asked with a teasingly bitter tone.

"We did, sir. Nothing happened." Andros replied without blinking, though confusion was very prevalent on his face.

"Come now, you can admit your mistake my friend, Gods know we all make them here and there." Perseus chuckled, turning back to face the stream with a smile of amusement on his face.

"Percy… I'm telling you, we tried it. Left you in there for a good long while and when we pulled you out nothing had changed."

The prince turned back around to face Andros in an attempt to search his face for any signs that he was lying and this was in fact as he had initially thought, a joke. He found none, and something akin to fear gripped his heart for a brief moment.

 _What could be making this happen..?_ He thought to himself in a slightly nervous state.

The water had seemed almost reluctant to help him, however as a prince of the sea he simply couldn't fathom why this might be. It was almost as if the water had feared him, or feared to be near him, though he knew not why.

"I was and still am as confused as you my prince, however it is something you can ask your father about I'm sure on another date, perhaps after Athens has fallen. Right now, not only do we need to be marching double time after your day long nap, but also we need you to come reason with that bloody woman you picked up at the Garden. After harshly ensuring we would place you in your tent with proper care, she found one for herself on the outer levels of the camp and has been held up in there ever since. I'd have sent men to fetch her once I heard of your waking but she has a knife and well.. You're the only person she will talk to that she won't swing it at." Andros shifted as though the thought of the girl alone almost scared him.

Perseus found it quite comical.

"I don't see the harm in it, the poor girl has been through much.. Take me to her." He said as he rose to his feet, this would perhaps be a good distraction to his water problem for now.

Andros nodded his head and together he and the prince made their way across the camp to an isolated tent. Upon arriving at their destination, the prince slowly approached and tilted the entrance flap of the hide structure open ever so slightly. He rapidly leaned back just in time to dodge a flying metal pot thrown from inside the shelter, laughing heartily at the Feistiness of the girl.

"Is that any way to treat the man who saved you fair lady?" Perseus called out, only to hear metal clank to the ground a second later.

"Enter." Was the only response.

With a cheeky lopsided grin, Perseus turned to Andros and winked.

"Just my devilish charm I suppose Andros, don't feel too bad about it. I'm more than sure she would have warmed up to you eventually."

The older demigod snorted, but then chuckled a bit at the prince's antics. Always the comedian.

"I shall tell the men to make ready?" He half said, half questioned.

"Do that." Perseus replied with a nod before entering the tent.

He looked around, then after a moment's glance located and locked eyes with the black haired beauty from the Garden of Immortality. She been given a change of clothes from somewhere or another, and now wore a black chiton dress accompanied by a golden necklace and matching wrist wear. The change in dress colour had not done anything to change the captivating look of her eyes. Gods, if anything Perseus thought it only amplified it.

"My lady." He bowed. "I'm told you've given my men a hard time in my absence?"

The girl blushed a light shade of red before looking down.

"I am sorry, I just.. You're the only one I felt I could trust to any extent."

Perseus smiled at her and walked over, lifting her chin so that she met his eyes.

"I am not angered, Gods, I'm impressed. You've got the fiercest fighting force in all of Greece shaking at the thought of even coming near your tent. Why, I don't believe even I could accomplish such a task!" He laughed, and joy grew in him upon seeing her smile in response.

"I suppose.. How are you feeling?" She changed the topic quickly, though Percy could tell she was relishing in the complement.

"Sticks and stones." He joked, "Though, the stick that fool had was far larger than the average I suppose wasn't it?"

She scowled at him and playfully punched him in the arm.

"'Tis not a joking matter Perseus of Sparta,. Heracles was an oaf, but he was a powerful one at that. How are you even able to walk yet without pain from the injuries he inflicted?"

The Spartan prince sighed and strode over to the table in the corner of her tent, noticing a glass of water sat upon it. He turned back to face Zoe once more, and stuck out his right arm towards the glass. Quickly, the water shot forth and began to hover above his bare right hand. He fiddled around with it as he made his way slowly back over to her, tossing it back and forth as though it were some form of a ball like the children back home played with. Upon reaching her, Perseus directed the water to cover a small cut on her arm, then closed his eyes and concentrated.

Zoe looked on in amazement as the small gash in her arm; no doubt made by a tree branch or thorn that had caught her as she tried to escape the son of Zeus a day prior, was healed by the waters and covered it. She looked back to Perseus with a smile, only to find him scowling over something.

"Does something trouble you?" She asked him hesitantly.

He looked up as if torn from thoughts.

"What? Oh! No, it's nothing." The man lied, poorly.

Zoe raised an eyebrow and crossed her arms, making the prince sigh.

"It is nothing that you need concern yourself with, trust me when I say it does not affect you."

The girl nodded slowly, somewhat pleased but at the same time very curious. What thought lingered in this Spartan's head? What secret was he hiding that seemed to trouble him so?

She stopped these thoughts, as after all, what business of it was hers to know these things?

"I've only just realized, you have yet to give me your name my lady." Perseus commented as he turned to leave the tent, lingering at the entrance in anticipation.

"Zoe." She replied with a smile and a smirk.

"Well, Zoe of no titles nor surname, I Perseus, prince of Sparta and son of Poseidon am glad to have met you. I believe we can one day be wonderful friends."

The girl shrugged nonchalantly and walked over to another part of the tent, feigning interest in a sowing needle rather than Perseus.

"If I want to be your friend, I'll let you know."

Perseus stared at her a moment without reaction, then let out a hearty laugh.

"I like you, Zoe of the Immortal Garden. If you wish to remain with us, be ready to move by noon. We cannot delay any longer, and the city of Athens is not going to take itself." With that he walked out, leaving Zoe alone to think.

~LB~

Poseidon gazed on at his son's image upon his walls, showing him leave the tent with a lopsided grin plastered fully across his face. His joyful expression always made the god of the sea smile himself. So powerful was his son, and yet he was so at peace even with troubles all around him. Perseus was a warrior with honour, that Poseidon knew better than anyone, and he couldn't be more proud.

Unfortunately, his tendency to always get involved in delicate circumstances had gotten him into trouble with a few gods already in the past, and his recent escapades were no exception. Zeus was in a complete huff about his victory over Heracles and wanted blood.

Personally, Poseidon had thought that the exchange had been fully justified and wholly supported the actions of his son. His thought were not echoed by the entirety of the Olympian council however, and thus began his troubles.

Poseidon sighed as he received the call to Olympus. Backing away from the wall he had been watching the image of his demigod on, he summoned a small amount of power to himself and flashed out of Atlantis and into his immortal throne in the capital of the Gods.

One by one around him he saw others do the same and scowled at the appearance of a certain grey eyed goddess. The owl queen sat upon her throne and looked around with what Poseidon believed to be a constant snobbish posture and attitude, seemingly attempting to look down upon all who met her eyes. She thought herself so intelligent, and yet so many choices she made all in the name of her pride were anything but. The irony made the God of the sea chuckle, causing Athena to turn to him with a sneer.

"What is so funny fish lord?" She questioned sharply, noticing he had been looking at her at the time of his slight outburst.

"Nothing Lady owl, merely the silly thoughts of an older man. Nothing the esteemed Goddess of wisdom need concern her mighty self with." Poseidon retorted sarcastically.

As he had hoped, it served to rile up and anger the Goddess, and she rose from her throne in a fit of rage, calling to her her spear and shield Aegis.

Poseidon for his part did nothing in terms of summoning weapon or armour, and watched with a smirk as the bitch of Athens advanced towards him, eager to avenge her wounded pride. He rose from his seat and spread his arms in a fashion that screamed 'come and get me'.

Normally of course, even though Poseidon knew Athena was an irrational being, she would not be this easy to anger were they in better days, with a united Greece to rule over rather than the chaos that their country was in currently.

The civil war had not only pitted the brothers and sisters of Greece against each other, it had also done the same with its Gods. They were not allowed to act for their side, however each God knew where the others stood for the most part. Poseidon knew that favour for Athens and its allies ran deeper than for that of Sparta. Though He and Ares, the two most staunch Spartan supporters had a few allies, they had a good number of Gods outside of the Olympian council at their side as well, most notably Poseidon's elder brother Hades.

Right as Athena was about to reach him, a bright white and gold light shrouded the room briefly signalling the entrance of the king of the Gods.

 _Always the drama queen._ Poseidon thought to himself with a mental shake of his head.

After the flash had cleared, Athena stopped her actions and turned to give a bow of her respect to her father.

 _Such a kiss up, the little snot._ Another thought ran briefly through the sea God's mind, causing him to smirk in amusement as he too turned to look at his brother.

"What is the meaning of this? Poseidon? Athena?" The god of the skies boomed.

"He-" The Goddess of wisdom went to speak only to be hit in the face with a blast of water and a single piece of seaweed.

Poseidon looked around quickly, pretending to look for the culprit, then turned back to the conversation with a look of feigned innocence on his face.

"I do say, I wonder where that came from."

Athena looked ready to raze Hades twice over just for a chance at gutting him with her spear. Zeus seemed unimpressed, however that was likely due to his current anger with Poseidon due to the actions of his son with the Heracles matter. For the most part, the rest of the Council was the same.

That is, except for Ares.

The God of war, upon seeing the display, had dropped the sword he had been sharpening for what was likely the twentieth time that day, in order to hold his sides to contain his laughter. Across the room, Hermes was trying to stifle a laugh, and even Apollo, one of Athena's supposed allies in the current conflict had a small grin visible.

"ENOUGH!" Zeus bellowed and slammed his Master Bolt into the ground as Athena made to attack Poseidon.

"But fa-"

"No. Sit down, now." Zeus commanded in a tone that bore no argument.

Reluctantly, the Goddess of wisdom and battle strategy complied and returned to her throne, glaring daggers at Poseidon the entire time.

"Now that we're done acting like mortal children, we must get to the matter at hand and the reason you have all been summoned here today." Zeus started, taking the opportunity that the quietness of the rarely quiet room brought.

"The conflict in our lands has gone on for far too long. As king of the Gods I believe it is time that we, the Gods of Greece, should intervene to some extent and put an end to this quarrel."

"What are you suggesting father?" Apollo asked, seemingly slightly unnerved.

"Recently it has come to my attention that Sparta has been establishing ties to the Persian Empire and its people. They would see a Persian fleet put the Ionians into Chaos, then sail over to Greece to aid Sparta in its conflict. They would have Persian filth invade our lands all so that they might win this war! I see this as an act of treason against not only Greece herself, but against us, who are its divine protectors!"

After his words, the council room exploded in an uproar of raised voices. Ares the loudest of them all.

"THIS IS OUTRAGEOUS! You would accuse my people of this without proof? Besides, what's the harm even if it were true? If the Persians tried to turn on us, my people could easily throw them back into the sea. If they did not and simply came in to help the Spartans, all that would happen would be a few dead Athenians any way, 'tis not like they'd be missed!"

Athena in turn screamed at him after this, calling him a traitor and a coward. All around them the other Olympian began to do the same. Hephaestus was arguing with Hera and Apollo, Dionysus with Demeter and Artemis, and Hermes with Aphrodite.

Zeus sat stock still upon his throne, staring directly into the eyes of his brother, who in turn was staring right back without flinching.

 _You and I both know what this is really about brother._ Poseidon spoke to him in his mind.

 _Maybe so, but who's to say really hm?_ Zeus responded, face still set in a neutral expression.

 _Why? Why is it that you must hate all of my children? What have they done to deserve your ire, that you must haunt them so throughout their existence deeming them a potential threat? Why can my children never simply live as they please, serving Olympus as any true Demigod should rather than fearing it and its king?_

 _The simple fact is Poseidon that they are and always will be threats. There is nothing I can do to change that._ The king of the Gods spoke mentally with what sounding almost like pitty. _What if one day your son woke up and decided that he no longer loved the Gods, cast us aside and rebelled? It is a chance I can never take, no matter how implausible it is._

 _You complete and utter hypocrite! Can the same not be said for your children!?_ Poseidon verbally roared.

For a long while Zeus said nothing to this, and the godly stair off between sea and sky continued amidst the chaos of the throne room in mental silence.

It was soon broken.

 _Who's to say I would not kill them myself should that happen..?_ Zeus spoke slowly, with almost a bitter tinge in his mouth.

 _The point is that at least they are given opportunity, mine ar-_.

Their verbal battle was cut off by the ever aggravating Goddess of wisdom asking her father a question.

"Can we put this to a vote and be done with it father? I grow tired of these Spartans and every moment we waste sees them grow closer and closer to my city!"

A few members of the council nodded in agreement. The time for a vote on this matter was long overdue.

"Quite right daughter." Zeus commented, motioning for all those that has risen in their debates to be seated.

"Let us begin." He said.

Poseidon was no fool. He knew the way this vote would turn out. Sparta simply did not have the support on the council that it needed in order to win this, and judging by the absolutely murderous expression on Ares' face he was of the same opinion and mind.

 _Nephew, we cannot be rash in our actions here.._ Poseidon reminded him slowly through his mind.

 _Of course uncle, however I cannot watch and stand idly by as they vote to slaughter my people!_ Ares responded, now looking at him.

 _Nephew, we must simply give it ti-._

For the second time that meeting Poseidon's communications were cut off as Ares rose from his seat and strode to the middle of the room. All the eyes of the council were on him as he drew his long Xiphos from it's Golden scabbard and held it up for all to see.

"This is my sword," He started, a faint crack in pitch the only thing betraying his true emotional state of the moment. "This is the sword of Sparta and my people. My people who have given countless years and countless lives in the service of a once free and united Greece, that has now been torn apart by Athens and her vile allies."

The room was deathly still and silent as he began to pace around, his voice growing louder as he walked.

"My people who have always been seen as the greatest warriors in our noble country. My people who were trusted by all the other great nations of Greece to lead them against the Athenian League. My people who have sacrificed time and time again for us and the many other petty city states whose farmers were too used to plowing fields to pick up a bloody spear and fight for themselves!" His voice had reached a shout by the end, and he quickly sheathed sword with a fury.

"Should this happen, no longer shall this sword of my people guard you. I will make sure that my Spartans see the destruction of Athens and all that it stands for, and I will laugh as they raze the city to the ground. Sparta might fall, but if you kill us, you make of us a Martyr, one who the rest of Greece will be more than happy to fight for and avenge."

He turned his back on the council and proceeded to walk towards the exit, stopping just before the large doors of the room.

"You all know this vote is a joke, and you all know which way it will go." He shook his head in what seemed like pitty.

"My sword will always fight for Sparta until the last of it's people have fallen, and I welcome those who would try to come and claim it from me."

With that, the God of War marched out of the throne room, intent on seeking out a certain Spartan Strategos who he believed could if not save their people, at least avenge them in the best way possible.

 **A/N**

 **Alrighty well hope you all somewhat liked it. I should be getting to some nice action scenes soon.**

 **As always, much love and Gods guide you, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Chrome.**


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N**

 **So, it's been a while eh? They don't kid ya when they say it's hard to get going again once you've stopped. I've been trying to work on this chapter for almost a month or so now, but I've just kept putting it off or having to prioritise my schoolwork leading to it taking this long.**

 **It doesn't help that I've been trying to upload this for a week and FF has not been allowing me to submit documents on my mac. Finally thought to try my other comp and it worked so here we are. Great fun.**

 **Sorry bout that.. Haha.**

 **I'm gonna try to keep this shorter than most of my pre-notes because I know I've kept a lot of people waiting for this long enough. Just gonna address a review or two and we'll be off!**

 **MasterTrident13 - I'd like to just thank you very much for the incredibly detailed review! I tried to do some looking into the Spartan army hierarchy and ranking names and systems before I started but had some trouble finding the information myself. I've tried to fix some by going back through this chapter, but I will be going back and editing points to be more "Spartanly" based on what you've just told me in the other chapters in the future, so thank you again! As for the situation with the gods, now that I've done more detailed research upon seeing this comment I realize that the site I was basing my original perception of Ares on may have misinformed me a little, however since that is the Ares I based the one in this story in and already have made plans accordingly, I'm afraid I'm gonna have to keep the gods how they are for now in the story. I'm sorry if this disappoints!**

 **Warrof - I'm only referring to Percy as Percy when he addressed by Andros (His best friend) or when in reference to him through narrative format. I must agree though, it doesn't feel right using it in the time period. Idk, maybe I'll go back and change it if I can find the time. Yes, this will be in ancient times for a long while before it ever gets to present. I've got a cool little Knight's templar thing I might go into after the Ancient greek age too, and perhaps Roman era.**

 **Cat Beats - Thank you very much for your kind words, you've just made me smile :). I hope you feel the same in regards to what I will continue to put out in the future! And thank you for that.. It is indeed.**

 **Arthur Shade & Guest- Thank you both very much!**

 **Now without further talk, I give you Chapter 3!**

Chapter 3

In the Dark of Night

There was always a part of Perseus that had been weary of forests since he was a young officer. The ever shifting leaves and dense underbrush; the high trees providing perfect vantage points for any would be assassins, why any road in the land that cut through one was practically a prime place for an ambush.

The terrain around the Spartan marching column was rough, it's rolling hills visible behind the treelines to each of their flanks. It was a starless night where darkness reigned supreme, the only patches of light briefly cast by the moon in certain places like glimmering slivers of hope on the walls of Tartarus itself. All of this combined sent shivers down Perseus' spine; the time and place were all too perfect.

"Should we stop to make camp sir?" One of the younger captains in the Prince's retinue; a man black of hair with a stocky build, asked.

Perseus turned to the man slightly from the back of Mávros as the horse continued to trot forward, his sea green eyes meeting the faintly red ones of the son of Ares.

"We haven't the time Cletus. We have already been delayed enough and I fear that if we stop for the night our allies will be caught undermanned in their siege. No, we must continue on, regardless of the danger." The young Polemarch responded with a tone that brokered no argument, and the son of Ares simply nodded then fell back into line.

For what it was worth, they had made record time thus far. Due to Perseus' incident with the son of the sky, the Spartan host had lost an entire day while waiting for his recovery. With any other army, of any other state, Perseus was sure their time would have been set off to a point of dreadful disrepair. The demigod however did not command any other army, and the Spartan blood in their veins carried he and his men on at a double timed marched. Aching, bruised, and in pain maybe, but making up for much lost time all the same.

Perseus could not have asked for better men to serve under him.

As they rounded a coming hill, he raised a hand to wave forward one of his many messengers. A boy; who Perseus vaguely recognized as the one who had warned him of Heracles and the Hesperide, came riding to the front upon the back of a swift grey skirmishing horse. The mount was large, though its form was nowhere near the size of the warhorses belonging to the Cavalry, and its build gave off an impression of agility rather than strength.

"Yes Polemarch?" The boy pounded his fist to his chest in salute and greetings.

"Ride back to the Rear and find Commander Andros among the cavalry officers there please. Tell him that he is to send forth six scouts ahead of our advance once more and no less. They are not to stop until they reach the border of Boeotia and Athens." The prince commanded.

"Aye sir!"

Perseus turned back to the road as the boy sped off to the rear of the column and just had time to stop his horse.

"Who are you that stands in the path of the Spartan Royal Army?" The prince called out, cautious.

A figure stood in the middle of the path directly in front of Perseus radiating a large amount of power; sending the prince's alert senses swirling. They were dressed in a long flowing dark robe, making it impossible to tell their gender or features.

 _Does Athena come to end my life herself? Have the Gods sunk so low that they would allow this breaching of laws as a justice to end the war?_ The prince wondered to himself.

 _Calm yourself warrior, I am no whore of Athens._ A response entered Perseus' consciousness, stunning him.

The being tilted their head slowly, seemingly inspecting the prince. After a moment's time, they walked forward and cast off their robe.

"Brave warriors from the most noble of city states Greece can name! I bid you greetings!" He exclaimed almost in the fashion of a warrior returning home.

Perseus knew who this was now that he could make out the man. His golden armour seemed to glow even without any light due to godly power and the red plume above his ornate helmet looked almost as though it overflowed with the blood of the many thousands slain by the God of War. The final thing Perseus noticed before jumping off his horse and hastily getting to a knee was the many little boar heads jutting out of each leather piece of Ares' skirting. His attire was truly something to both fear and admire.

"My lord Ares, I must apologize we were not expected you." The prince tried to explain their lack of preparedness for the arrival of their patron God.

"Well I should hope not, I'm supposed to be hiding myself to some degree." The Olympian chuckled and gestured for the prince and those who had followed him in kneeling to rise. "On your feet soldiers, we're not Athenians that we should spend our lives on our knees!"

The statement brought a laugh to the crowd and the men returned to a stand.

Ares nodded to Perseus then gestured to the forest before walking in said direction. Perseus turned to the nearest of his officers; who happened to be Cletus, and instructed him to tell the men to establish a perimeter before following into the trees.

He walked up beside the God, who was staring out into the darkness solemnly.

"Spartan, you do your nation proud with your valour in leading its forces."

"Thank you sir, I would give my life for the cause in a second." The prince stated quickly, and while it was a statement mainly just meant to prove himself, it was also not untrue.

"I've no doubt of that." Ares said with a sparkle in his eye as he began to walk forward, beckoning Perseus to join him.

They walked deeper into the woods in silence for a while, simply taking in their surroundings. While it was peaceful, the prince knew this was not the reason the God of war had come down from Olympus.

"I take it something monumental has happened up there to warrant this visit." He stated matter of factly.

"Not much slips over your head does it boy?" Ares chuckled mirthlessly before looking back at him. "Aye, I suppose you could say that."

"The gods in our their infinite glory and wisdom have decided that they will side; covertly, with Athens in this conflict. Not all agree; such as myself and your father, however on the Olympian council our support is not as great as it is among the minor gods, and thus the vote did not go in our favour."

"I see.." Perseus said slowly. If this was true then hope of victory was slim. His men could not be allowed to find this out.

"I have come to warn you, and to an extent, help you."

"Help us? Does that not go against the ancient laws?" Perseus questioned.

"With everything going on, and everything that is about to happen in regards to the Gods, I'm not sure the ancient laws even apply in this war anymore.." Ares responded with a sigh.

Before Perseus had time to respond to that, he heard a commotion coming back from the way they had came. He spun around quickly, just in time to catch a glimpse of the giant balls of fire that were rolling down the hill towards where his army was waiting patiently. He cursed and looked back to Ares for guidance.

"Go to them boy, it is all you can do."

Perseus didn't need to be told twice, and before Ares had even finished his statement he was taking off back towards the road.

~LB~

Cletus was a calculating man. He was a son of Ares, and thus there was much pressure placed on him whilst he served among the ranks of the Spartan State. If he'd had his way he'd be in Athens right now as a scholar, but the damned war had prevented this outcome. In a sense he was grateful, for had his father ever found out he'd have been outcast from the line of the war good quicker than a Medusa could turn a man to stone. That did nothing to stop the disappointment though.

He was happy for his post at least. The Polemarch Perseus was a good and noble commander of men, and he respected them all. His morals made it so that he tried to make sure each and every one of the men under his command were able to make it home alive. While this was of course an unrealistic goal, it was refreshing to work under a leader that at least cared for the lives of his soldiers; unlike many other Spartan leaders. Cletus suspected this might be due to the influence his mother had on his upbringing, after all the Lady Sallia was widely known throughout Sparta as a shining example of kindness given human form.

Cletus made his way over to one of the supply wagons to see if he could find something to eat. The long ride has been dreadful on his legs and rear end, and he couldn't possibly fathom what it must have been like for the soldiers marching on the ground. Shuddering at the thought, he proceeded to pull back the flap of a wagon just as the first cries went out. He saw two of his comrades from the Prince's royal guard running by with spears in hand and stopped them.

"What is going on Baruch?" He asked the son of Eris, quick and to the point.

"Ambush sir, they've propelled burning balls of fire down the hills around us. By my guess they must've been hiding in the trees. The exits on the roads to our front and rear have been fully blocked off from what I'm hearing. Perseus knew this was a bad spot, we never should have stopped here!" Baruch as usual was bouncing on his feet as he talked. Something about being the son of discord made him a little overly antsy more often than not.

"Aye, it was a foolish mistake." The other guard, one Flavian son of Apollo, threw in his point after his agile brown haired comrade had finished. Flavian like all sons of Apollo seemed to have a slight glow to him in almost any light, and his trademark shining blond hair stood out in sharp contrast to the dark of night around them.

"Well not much to do for it now." Cletus surmised. "We must hold the line, but first we must reach Commander Andros. Gather as many of the Royal Guard as you can find and meet up with me at the rear, we shall create a push upwards from there with him. Have any men you can find along the way form shield walls where they can. If we break formation and they have greater numbers than us then all is lost."

The two men pounded their fists to their chests and took off at a full tilt in two different directions. Cletus began to run back towards the rear of the convoy before halting. From the treeline he saw the emergence of the owl of Athena, and the blue banners of Athenian soldiers as they charged the lines on both sides of him. The men were holding, but they likely wouldn't for long.

 _I must get to Andros._ He thought to himself quickly as his breathing rate seemed to double.

Cletus ran. He ran by his falling comrades, he ran through the splashes of blood from both Athenian and Spartan alike as all around the battle roared. A dark musk had settled in the air, and the smells of smoke hung lightly just above the stench of the dead and dying.

Cletus continued to sprint until he could no longer, when finally in the distance he could make out Commander Andros' personal sigal. A Black gauntleted fist stood proudly on a field of white fabric on the lone flag in the middle of Andros' formation. It appeared most of Andros' cavalry had dismounted and formed a circular phalanx, and in the center of the formation the son of Ares could see the commander himself standing side by side with the girl the prince had brought in with him after his clash with Heracles.

The problem Cletus now faced, was the fact that Andros' formation was separated fully from the main battle lines. Somehow, the Athenians had managed to drive themselves right into the Spartan ranks and cut the line just enough to keep the commander separate. Cletus was fairly certain this was intentional, and he wondered who is was commanding the Athenians that was smart enough to know that separating Andros from the main body could be catastrophic for the Spartans.

He leapt back as a spear flew in front of him just grinding across his his breastplate before it continued to flow of in another direction. This resulted in a loud scraping sound, and Cletus knew that the mark it undoubtedly left would have damaged his engraving. As he had always been taught, he roared out a fierce battle cry of rage to instil some fear before spinning and facing the enemy that had thrown the weapon.

This Athenian was bigger than most, and clearly some form of officer if his enameled bronze armour and the troupe of hoplites behind him were anything to judge. He and his men had apparently broken through a portion of the Spartan lines facing the north, and the son of Ares knew that he must have it reformed as soon as possible. He grinned at the prospect of taking the Athenian's blade or helm as a trophy once he had gutted the man.

Cletus raised his sword and charged; a few Spartans around him sitting in reserve for other sections of the nearby shield walls joining him upon seeing his officer's armour and the breach he was running towards. A resounding clash of steel on bronze and steel on steel echoed across the area as the two small forces of fighters met, and both Athenian and Spartan alike began to fall to the ground. The cries of the wounded were even closer to him now that he was in the thick of the fighting, and whenever he cut down an opponent, he hoped it was a kill so that he would not have to grimace as the groans of a dead or dying man haunted his thoughts. It was a horrid business war, but one that he knew would never go away.

He ripped his blade across the throat of what he thought must have been the fifth Athenian he had slain in the skirmish before finally coming face to face with the enemy leader. The man was big, but nothing like some of the Spartan brutes Cletus had trained with. He cracked his neck as he began to circle the man and size him up. One thing that made itself very prominent right away upon inspection was the blood dripping down from beneath the Athenian's right greave. No doubt he had taken some form of injury there and tried to cover it up, and while it did not seem like an incredibly major wound, it was most certainly something that could be exploited. That, and his size; which the son of Ares thought would have to have at least some effect on his speed.

Cletus lept in first in an attempt to catch the man off guard after a second full circle had been completed. To an extent, it was a success, as he managed to get a small knick on the arm of his opponent. This success was negated directly after however when the Athenian officer brought down his shield and smashed it into Cletus' blade. It didn't disarm him, but it threw the Spartan off balance and he struggled to real back in time to narrowly dodge a blow from his enemy's blade.

Cletus had underestimated him. Even with his wound the man was fast, and his extra weight and strength did nothing to slow it. He would have to be more careful.

With this in mind, he swung his blade again in a vertical arc at the Athenian; who immediately raised his shield above his head with his left arm to block the swing. This was exactly what Cletus had wanted, and he pulled back from the swing as a feint while swinging his shield at his enemy's right side in a bludgeoning attempt. It worked, and the Athenian cried out in pain as his sword fell from the hand attached to said arm.

Cletus had the advantage and he knew it, so he pushed that advantage and within another short minute of fighting he raised the head of the officer above him for all to see with a roar of triumph he swore the Olympians themselves must have heard.

The remaining Athenian hoplites pouring through the breach panicked upon seeing the death of their leader, and soon a large route started. The Spartans who had fought with him cheered his name a few times, and it was with high morale that they patched the hole in the shield wall and secured the Spartan lines once more

Cletus looked around him quickly to see if there were any men left from the fight, however all nearby reserves seemed fully occupied by the war for said wall, each desperately trying to break through the formations of the other. The breach had been patched, and Cletus let out a small sigh of relief at having lead this deed.

The son of Ares cursed rapidly and raised his leaf shaped blade again as he felt a tap on his left shoulder, only to shove the Smirking face of Baruch aside as he saw who is was.

"You blasted fool, I could have killed you!" Cletus yelled.

"You could have tried." Baruch smirked then stood aside for Cletus to see the amount of Royal Guard he had brung with him.

"Thirty five all and all I could find, Flavian found closer to twenty, the rest are either dead, separated, or left at the front to hold the line there."

One of the guards stepped forward, his plumage identified him as another officer, equal to Cletus in rank. He was tall, and the strength visible in his arms could put as much fear in the heart of an enemy as the etchings of Medusa's head on his helm's faceplate. A long cut ran vertically from above the right eye socket of his helm to just below it, and if the helm were to be removed Cletus was sure he'd see a nasty scar clear as day on his face to the top and bottom of his black with red speckled eyes, putting a strange highlight on his black hair. This was none other that Alekos, Cletus' full blooded brother and a fellow son of Ares.

"Brother, I do believe you called for us." The elder son of Ares said with a cheeky grin on his face.

"We need to get to Commander Andros before he is overwhelmed. If he falls our defence until the prince returns might as well be lost. We need that cavalry in the field, and we need Andros in command."

"I'm inclined to agree, let's get to it then." Alekos responded; still smiling, but this time drawing his sword and beginning to march forward.

"Hold on a moment Alekos let us at least try to devise some form of strat-"

"Hack, slash, stab, repeat. Strategy is overrated brother, now come kill some Athenians!" Without a word Alekos charged, followed by the rest of the royal guard.

"Typical." Cletus snorted, hoisting his own blade and charging in after them.

The first opponent he met he kicked aside with ease and continued pressing forward, slashing his blade across the necks of two Athenian hoplites on his way. He was not the same caliber swordsman as his brother, but he could most certainly hold his own and was considered above average; as was evident by his battle with the Athenian officer moments ago. He was as keen as most Spartans on battle, but there were certain expectations he had to meet as a son of Ares, and he had grown up trying to make sure he always succeeded in them.

He blocked a spear thrust aimed at his arm and quickly stabbed his blade into the stomach of the hoplite who had made the thrust. It took a bit, as instead of the standard leather linothorax of an average soldier this man wore bronze plate. His extra strength granted as a demigod son of Ares always found some way to come in handy in a fight however, and he was able to force his xephos straight through the stomach of the Athenian.

The man let out a short gurgle before blood poured from his mouth and down his breastplate and he fell forward as Cletus yanked out his blade. The son of Ares turned back to looked at the reason for this mad charge, and to his dismay witnessed the commander's position begin to get overrun. He looked around hopelessly for something, anything, he could use that might help; but alas, all he saw was a cracked war horn from one of the commander's fallen standard bearers.

A war horn!

Cursing himself for his initial stupidity, he bolted towards the fallen sigil of hope; cutting one Athenian right down the shoulder of his leather linothorax and hurling him into another of his charging comrades. If he could make it to the war horn, he could blow a the tune signalling they were being overrun, and maybe; just maybe, the prince might hear it and be able to come to their aid.

The son of Ares was tired. He had fought hard, and splotches of blood covered almost every visible part of his body; as well as his face he was sure. His armour had begun to grow slightly heavier than it had felt before, and he knew minor fatigue was the cause. Regardless, he ran on as though he were a man gifted new breath by the gods themselves until he reached the spot where he had seen the fallen horn.

To his surprise, the woman from before was at the horn herself. He stopped for a moment, baffled as she cut her way through three athenian hoplites as though they were nothing more than new recruits. She wielded two small daggers, hunting knives if his eyes did not deceive him, and the way she moved indicated many years worth of training and skill behind them. The citizen's chiton dress she wore seemed to limit her movements to some extent, but it sure wasn't slowing her down. Cletus was so caught up in her movements that for a second he got distracted; and in battle, a second's worth of lost focus is all it can take to make a fatal error.

He felt the pain in his shoulder before he saw the silver arrow head protruding through. Acting fast he spun about and raised his shield to block three more arrows fired in rapid succession towards him and rolled backwards until the warhorn was directly at his feet. The arrows continued to ram into his shield in a steady trickle, and it was clear he was being targeted for some purpose. He knew not why for certain, but the logically speaking part of his mind told him it was due to his officer's attire.

Life was much easier as a simple hoplite.

What must have been the seventh arrow ramming into his shield got him moving again, and he propped the big bronze circle up in the direction the projectiles were coming from as he bent down to pick up the horn. He felt a heavy weight roll across his back just as he was about to press the ivory tool to his lips, and looked over to see the chiton wearing warrior maiden cutting down an Athenian whose spear was just inches away from his right cheek. Cletus nodded his thanks to her and she simply smirked in return, the light of the flames scattered across the battlefield reflecting her shining smile in such a way that should not have been possible with the given light. She disappeared back into the fray with a savage snarl, leaving Cletus to his task.

Before another distraction could arise, he quickly put the ivory horn to his lips once more. This time, he was able to successfully blow off three notes; meaning the rear was overrun, before another silver arrow flew from out of nowhere and knocked the instrument from his hand. He could not help but stare in shock at his now empty hand as he felt a boot kick him from behind onto his stomach.

He tried to crawl forward, but he felt something hard and sharp press into the back of his leg and found himself unable to move. He was forcefully rolled over by surprisingly feminine hands, and it was only when he was on his back that he realized that said hands belongs to something more dangerous than almost any Athenian hoplite in the entire army of Athens.

"Hello there Spartan." A fair haired member of the hunters of Artemis said from above him. She had no weapon drawn yet, but her two companions had bows at the ready making sure none of Cletus' comrades who saw the exchange interfered.

"I'm looking for your prince, perhaps you could assist me in finding him?"

 **A/N**

 **Well, that's what I got for now.**

 **I truly do hope you enjoyed it. Please let me know what you think of some of the OC's I've added in, and of the Chapter in general! I know too many OC's isn't ideal but I can't exactly have the modern gang in the Spartan ranks if I intend to bring it to the present any time soon, haha. Hopefully you didn't mind Cletus too much, was a bit a spur of the moment thing but I wanna kinda start getting the main spartans aside from our boy Percy out there.**

 **I Will not likely be uploading on a weekly basis as once promised with this but it also won't ever be this long a wait again, I'm thinking maybe once every two or couple of weeks, if I hit a streak where I wanna just keep writing then I'll perhaps get some weeks back to back, who knows.**

 **But yes enough of my rambles, Thank you all very much for reading! Please remember to leave a review, after being gone this long especially they will really help out. As always, much love and Gods guide you, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Chrome.**


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N**

 **Hello hello readers! I would like to start by saying I was going to release this a few days ago but I wanted to wait until May the 4th to say that corny "May the 4th be with you" a line**

 **Sue me.**

 **Not much to say from me on this end today so I guess I'll get right into review responses!**

 **Cat Beats - I'm glad to hear, and very happy to hear you're still enjoying it! Thank you very much! I'm trying not to stray too far away from certain elements and when I get into the modern era I know that I might have to fall a little bit back into a more routine setup of the events, however the Percy in this story will keep his ancient identity ideals and whatnot so I'm very pleased to hear you enjoy how I'm doing him! :)**

 **Guest 1, Spencer Dorman, and StyxxsOmega - I'm very glad you're all enjoying it so far, thank you!**

 **Master Trident - Ah ok, I was unaware! I may start trying to focus on fixing that detail then but if it's such a minor detail as you said and I really like the whole xiphos design personally I might keep it in here and there. I know about the spears it's just more fun to describe combat with a blade personally for me, however with that said I have tried to take that into account when writing this chapter and tried to incorporate the spear combat a little! I appreciate the knowledge you've been providing in these matters, it has been very helpful so far!**

 **Guest 2 - Thank you! We share a common taste it seems as they're my favourite types of stories too! It will be at some stage in my planning right now yes. That could change, but it's not likely :P**

 **I just wanna say the reviews really help me in my writing, so thank you all each once again for your awesome support!**

 **Alrighty, here's your chapter!**

Chapter 4

Silver Arrows

The smell of fire and smoke on the wind hit Perseus before the foul stench of death and battle. There never really was a point where a man was ever able to get used to that. No matter how many lives you took, no matter how many battles you took part in, the smell always remained just as repulsive as the first time it danced across one's nostrils.

He had just been exiting the forest when he'd heard a loud three blasts sound from a horn somewhere near the rear. While he may not have been the best of students to some of his mentors, he remembered enough to recall that three blasts meant they were being overrun. This was problematic, but far from unfixable.

Perseus began to jog straight into the back of the nearest body of Athenian troops and drew his sword. Of course he would've preferred an easier route, however he strongly doubted the Athenians would allow him to pass through them back into his lines as a friendly gesture. Besides, he'd need the warm up before he moved to help whoever it was that was blowing that horn.

As he cut down the first of his opponents and a few more started to notice him, he realized one thing he had forgotten until that very moment.

Andros was at the rear, and if he was not around leading the troops and under officers…

Needless to say the prince's pace picked up to about three times worth of his previous speed. He needed to rescue his oldest friend, and he needed to do it fast. He hardly even took the time to look down at the men he swept his blade across as he ran, and it was thanks to instinct not perception that he leapt at exactly the right moment to jump on top of a tilted Athenian shield and off it to land on the other side of his own Spartan shield wall.

Many of the Spartans sitting in reserve were immediately pointing spears at the figure they had just seen leap their wall, however upon realizing who is was they had lowered their weapons right away. Perseus looked around him at all the shocked faces that were quickly morphing into relief with all the seriousness as he could muster. The men were happy to see him, but they should not think that just because he had come back that they could afford to fight any less hard.

"The prince is back!"

"The day is saved!"

"Surely the Gods are smiling on us now!"

"Silence!" Perseus called to end the cheers with a raised hand. The chatter died down quickly but seeing as the fighting was but a few steps away things were still far from quiet. Regardless, he would have to speak over it. He began walking between them, placing hands on shoulder and looking some of them in the eye to inspire confidence. These men were a hardy bunch, but it was clear by the bleeding bandages, open wounds, and dripping sweat visible on their characters that they had a fair share of fighting already.

"The rear is being overrun gentlemen. You have done your best here and you have held where they have failed, but now I must ask that some of you come with me to help rectify that mistake. I see you, I see your pain. I see the weight clearly bearing down on your shoulders in twice the strength it normally would; why you feel as though you carry the burden of Atlas himself!" He stopped a moment and waited for his words to sink in before continuing.

"And yet at the same time, I also know you. I know you, brave soldiers of Sparta. I know your strength, I know your devotion, and I know that there isn't a single one of you here ready to be bested by a bunch of Athenian dogs in the night!" He drew his sword; still covered in blood from his previous charge through Athenian lines as he finished, and a resounding cheer went through the injured and worn out troops in the reserve.

"With me now! No mercy brothers!" The prince called out as he began to jog again in the direction of the horn, his men taking up the cry behind him.

"No mercy! No mercy! No mercy!"

The sound of the synchronized steps and the spears banging against shields to this battle rhythm was enough alone to send a few Athenians running, and that made Perseus smile.

The troop following him fought as though they had been given new life, and it was the prince's belief that perhaps Ares had done something to maybe give them all a second wind. That, or they truly were inspired by his speech. Either way, he sent up a silent prayer to the God of war as he cut down Athenian after Athenian in thanks.

Before long they had made it to their destination. Many had died in the push but they had also gained new numbers along the way. The battle in other places along the column was beginning to finish off, with mass Athenian routes becoming common sight before long. All that was needed to finish the job were some quickly executed cavalry charges into the back of the enemies. Perseus was sure that once this was accomplished the day would be won soon after.

The thickest fighting was still taking place in the rear however, and the rear was conveniently where Andros and his Cavalry were.

And Zoe was there...

 _Why must it never be easy?_ He asked himself with a shake of his head while also quickly reminding his foolish mind to focus only on that which would further the mission.

He thrust his short blade through the stomach of one Athenian before yanking it out and spinning to cut the throat of another one who had been trying to sneak up on him. As the flanker was falling down Perseus swiftly sheathed his own blade and snagged the man's spear out of the air. It was a nice weapon, and he figured he might as well get some practice in fighting with spear and shield like so many of his men for a time.

Hefting the new weapon, he gave a few practice stabs before christening the tip with the blood of a few more men marching under the owl of wisdom.

While he could've stayed and fought all day though, he had a job to do, and thus he pushed on.

He and his men fought in a spearhead and slowly carved their way to the back. As they got closer however, Perseus saw something that made a cold chill run down his spine. In the woods around them, every so often a faint flash of silver could be seen to appear. To the untrained eye, they would be undetectable, but to the prince they were not only quite visible but also more than worrying.

 _So, the Goddess of the hunt has also chosen a side._ He said to himself in his head as he growled aloud in anger.

He knew now that this was a much more dangerous situation than he had initially believed, and had to consider exactly how best to proceed. He was not panicking; Spartans never panicked, but he was growing further away from the calm that usually accompanied him. He slowed his thoughts as he cuts down another Athenian as their spear flew past his side; his own piercing directly through their neck. He had to consider the facts.

It was likely that they were here for him, that much was clear. He was a large reason Zeus had chosen to side against Sparta in the war; of that he had no doubt, and so it only made sense that the god king would send his favourite manhunter after him. At the same time however, Artemis would not be able to touch him unless he issued a direct challenge to her. He was called reckless sometimes, foolish others, but he was nowhere near naive enough to think himself the equal of a goddess.

He was about to keep pushing when he stopped and stared at a sight across the battlefield. Cletus was on his back; the horn that had been used to call for help at his side and a hunter over top of him brandishing a knife. The battle was still going on around them, however there were two other hunters keeping a somewhat wide circle cleared and open around the exchange.

This was obviously some form of a battlefield interrogation, and by the few cuts visible on Cletus' face it was evident it had already started. This made Perseus' blood boil, and he hefted his spear to show these hunters exactly how he felt about it. In one clean motion, he had hurled the weapon in a straight line at one of the female archers and smirked in success as it pierced directly through the chest of the one standing over his brother in arms.

Her remaining two comrades turned with bows drawn in a second and looked of anguish flashing across their faces. They were mad, and that meant they would be irrational; just as perseus had wanted. He drew his sword as thunder boomed overhead and the light clanking of water on armour made it apparent that rain had begun to fall. Zeus was clearly not impressed with how the battle was going, and that thought alone made Perseus smile as he marched slowly towards his two opponents.

A steady stream of silver arrows flew at him only to be met by well placed deflections or blocks with his mighty Spartan bronze shield. He broke into a jog and eventually a sprint as he charged, and with one mighty bash rammed his shield into the first hunter he came across and sent her flying back before she could move. He then spun quickly to block the slash of two silver hunting knives that would have pierced his back and swung a quick counter strike with his blade.

The counter was dodged as the hunter nimbly lunged to her right side, however she did not seem to account for the prince's shield, and by the time she had raised her head it was smashing into her head in a skull crushing blow. Perseus snorted as she crumpled; that one clearly hadn't been a hunter long if her skill was anything to judge by.

He turned casually to meet another swipe from the final hunter and pivoted her blades just as they were about meet with his flesh. Faster than she could react, he drove his elbow into her nose and blood began to pour out of it at an alarming rate. The prince delivered one solid kick to her chest and sent her sprawling onto her back, and within seconds and a single stab of a blade, her life was ended.

He looked around at the three fallen hunters sadly for a moment before the remorse for the young misguided girls he felt was overshadowed by the sight of his crumpled young officer and comrade. Perseus ran over to the man and scowled at the amount of wounds coating his body.

"If it's any condolence, I got most of these fighting Athenians and not little girls.." Cletus coughed up as he open his eyes, a mix between a grin and a grimace creating a bitter contrast on his face.

"It is no shame to lose to a hunter of Artemis friend… even if they are seemingly in training." Perseus teased with a smirk. If Cletus was in a good enough mood to joke, then he couldn't have been as bad as he'd thought.

He offered the downed man his hand and Cletus grasped it, letting out a groan of pain as he was pulled to his feet. When the man had fully risen Perseus began calling some of the water around them from the building puddles and thundering downpour to his aid. To his relief, it did not seem reluctant to come to him this time and within moments he had managed to heal most of the son of Ares' outer wounds. It appeared however that he had maimed his leg on the interior as well, and with his current knowledge of his demigod powers that was something still above his abilities to fix.

He snatched a spear from one of his passing guards and gave it to Cletus to lean on. It wasn't too incredibly helpful; that much was clear, but it was better than nothing. Perseus turned to the Spartan whose spear he had grabbed and ordered him to take Cletus to a more secured part of the line and put him into some form of medical care with a son of Apollo. The man clapped his fist to his chest in a soldier's salute, and went to do as he was told. Perseus took comfort in the fact that at least one of his best officers would be safe; who knew how many he would find dead in the aftermath of this battle.

"Perseus!" He heard Cletus call as he began to walk away.

He turned about slightly to acknowledge he had heard so the man would continue.

"I saw Andros and his flag that way." He pointed in a direction slightly north of them in a direction of more battle, and Perseus was just able to make out the brief details of Andros' banner. Perseus was about to thank him when he continued.

"Your hesperide you brought along with us, Zoe I think her name was.. She was running off that way last I saw her and by Ares she can fight! Saved my hide just before these hunters showed up from a nice Athenian spear thrust. Some might not agree with bringing her along but I wanted to say I'm glad we did."

Perseus was caught off guard by his comment of Zoe being "his hesperide" and hardly heard the rest. "She's a free woman to go where she chooses, she is not 'my' hesperide soldier" He scowled.

"Whatever you say sir." Cletus chuckled as he was pulled away.

A part of Perseus wanted to go after Zoe upon hearing that she was taking part in the fighting. Hades, his heart seemed to demand it of him for some unknown reason. He was however a general that prided himself on his rational thoughts; and those thoughts as well as his mind told him he must go for Andros first.

 _Besides, I've given her some of the best guards in my army to watch her back. They'll do their duty and protect her._ He reasoned to himself.

 _But what if their best isn't good enough…?_ That damned voice in the back of his head again.

Why was he thinking like this? This girl that had suddenly appeared in his life and only been there a short while was somehow now rivalling his greatest and oldest friend in terms of importance to him?

He had to snap out of it, and he had to do it soon. Curse this woman for tainting his normally tactical thoughts!

And yet.. Try as he may, he could not be mad about it. It scared him, but he knew that this was not the time for such inner turmoil and decided he must push it aside until later.

Without a second thought, he ran off to save Andros. Leaving his doubts and conflict for later on as always.

~LB~

Zoe ran through the trees in pursuit of her prey. The Athenian hoplites she was chasing had fled into the bushes moments before and she and the few Spartans prince Perseus had assigned to protect her were determined not to let them slip away.

They had been impressed by her battle prowess, in awe even, but it was to be expected. As the daughter of Atlas; a famed general and warrior of the Titanomachy, it was only natural that she would be trained to defend herself, and when training under the tutelage of the Titan of endurance one's abilities were truly sharpened.

Her skills did not however extend to tracking; something she deeply loathed at the given point in time as apparently none of the Spartans around her had said skill either.

She shrugged off her annoyance and continued further into the woods in the direction they believed the Athenian's had ran. Here and there they were able to pick up on the big clues such as broken branches and hacked at shrubbery, but then the trail began to grow more deceptive as they advanced until eventually it was erased altogether.

After continuing a little further a Spartan held up his hand to order the men to stop and reluctantly, she did the same. Blowing a stray hair off her now dirt and blood covered brow she began to survey the surrounding woodland. They had entered a small clearing with just enough space for them all to fit into with a little bit of arm room. A faint glow of stars shone through the partings in the overhead treetops just enough to be visible; however it was a moonless night and therefore the lighting around them was far from ideal.

Zoe made her way to the edge and looked out squinting. Suddenly, out of the trees a body dropped in front of her face. A rope was attached to its foot and the cold dead eyes of an Athenian stared into what felt to Zoe like her very soul. Much to her chagrin, she let out a startled and incredibly week yelp as she stumbled backwards and drew her hunting knives. All around the clearing other bodies began to fall in the same manner; landing just above the ground suspended by ropes to the trees above.

The Spartans around her she could tell were horrified, however their military discipline kicked in and within a matter of moments they had formed a circular defensive shield wall around her. She felt helpless; and she didn't like it, but she quickly realized she had no shield and therefore could not be of particular use in this case. Doing what she could, she continued to survey the area around them for the now apparent enemy.

One of the Spartans it seemed had the same idea and poked his helmet covered head out just a little over his shield. Instantly; before Zoe even had the chance to blink, the man was falling forward with a silver arrow sprouting from the small opening in his corinthian style helmet's eye socket. In rapid succession, two more arrows flew through the opening now left by his vacant body and hit the back and necks of two other Spartans on the other side of the circle respectively. This pattern continued for another twenty seconds before Zoe was left standing alone in the clearing surrounded by the dead bodies of her guards.

She was too stunned to move, and when multiple girls armed with bows and arrows that had clearly been used to kill the men assigned to protect her emerged from the trees around the clearing, all she could do was sit in numbed silence.

How had such a feat been accomplished in so short a time? Why was she left alive while all others were slain? Why was a small girl slowly approaching her from among the warrior women ranks?

What?

She snapped herself out of her daze finally just before the girl had arrived directly in front of her. Face to face she was easily able to make out her features due to the silver glow that seemed to follow her everywhere. The girl was young, deceptively so however as those eyes seemed to possess thousands of years worth of knowledge inside of them.

Zoe was no fool, she was clearly dealing with a god or godling here and as the daughter of a titan the odds of surviving this encounter were very slim. The Amber hair cascading down the Goddess' shoulders seems to catch on any light it came across and highlight the pale complexion of her unblemished skin. Her stature was small due to her current chosen form of what looked to be a fourteen year old girl, but not for one second did that manage to throw any illusions or doubts of her skills into Zoe's mind. All was becoming clear now as she began to piece the pictures of the puzzle together. The hunters, the woods, the silver glow, the seemingly silent movement with which they travelled the wood.

This was the Goddess Artemis, lady of the hunt and moon, and the other women surrounding her were her loyal handmaidens; the hunters.

Zoe wanted to breath a sigh of relief as she knew that Artemis and her entourage were known never to want to bring harm to a young maiden, however the fact that she seemed to be travelling with the enemies of the Goddess coupled with the fact that she was the spawn of a Titan seemed to bring her odds right back to the bottom in terms of survival. Quickly she lowered herself into a bow to show respect.

"We are not here to harm you girl, fear not." The goddess' youthful form seemed to apparently play a little part on her voice, however it held more authority and wisdom than any fourteen year old voice would ever normally posses.

"I am grateful; however if I may then lady Artemis, why kill my escort? These were all good men whose only job was to protect me." Zoe cursed herself for being making so bold a statement to a goddess while at her mercy, but her overly curious side often a seemed to get the best of her and this was simply one of those cases.

The Goddess laughed and looked around her at the bodies of the men in disgust.

"Good men do not exist sweet child, you'd do well to remember that." She made her way closer to Zoe and gazed into her eyes, seemingly trying to get a judgment of her or decide on something.

"We simply saved you from the inevitable disappointment you would suffer at their hands. One way or another this is always the case." She began pacing and circling the hesperide. "How is it a young maiden such as you finds themselves in the company of the barbaric Spartans? Surely you are no camp follower.. It puzzles me."

"A camp follower I most certainly am not." Zoe huffed out indignantly; even the idea of such was offensive! "The Polemarch Perseus saved me from a fate worse than death. I travel with him out of thanks and because.. Well I enjoy his company."

Many of the girls around the clearing snickered at this statement, clearly amused by it.

"You enjoy his company.." Artemis seemed to mocked as she continued her circling. "But for how long will he enjoy yours I wonder?"

"W-what do you mean?" Zoe questioned a little caught off guard. Perseus had saved her, why would he do so just to cast her aside?

"It is the way of men child. They see women as their little play things, something to have fun with for a time but when they grow board simply discard them and move on to another." She stopped pacing and came to a standstill directly in front of where Zoe was standing, her eyes seemingly screaming for a challenge of her statement.

"Perseus isn't like that" She argued. "He wouldn't do that to me, he saved me.."

Artemis shook her head, clearly disappointed and turned around; beginning to walk back out of the clearing.

"We will leave you in peace maiden, and as loath as I am to admit it we will allow to return to your Spartan Prince." She stopped and looked back just on the edge. "However; in the event that you do change your mind when he does inevitably disappoint you, my hunt is always in need of more capable young maidens. You've proven you can handle yourself from what I've seen in your fighting today, pray to me when you come around and we shall return to this option."

Without another word she and her hunt were gone

Zoe stood in stunned silence trying to take in what had just transpired. The exchange had been brief, however the words exchanged held a lot of importance. Not only had she not been killed, but she had been offered a place in Artemis' immortal hunt! It was amazing, she could gain her immortality back and hunt with the maiden Goddess of the moon for an eternity!

And yet… to do so she would have to leave the company of Perseus and join his enemies, effectively betraying the man that had saved her life. That was not something she could do to him, and so with sadness she ruled the option out.

 _But what is the Goddess is right? What if he betrays me?_ A small thought jumped to the surface in her mind.

 _He won't._ She assured herself. _I know he won't…_

 **A/N**

 **That's all we got for this time! I really hope you all enjoyed it and I apologize if it took longer than some would've liked. I did intentionally delay for may the 4th (Because nerd reasons..) and I'm also trying to write a DnD script on the side while doing schooling as well and running an alliance in a game called War and Order; lots of work on the plate, haha!**

 **If you enjoyed please remember to leave a review and let me know! Can't stress enough how important those comments are!**

 **As always much love and gods guide you, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Also, may the 4th be with you…**

 **Chrome.**


	6. Chapter 6

**You know the drill by now I'm sure. I'll give an excuse then apologize for how long it's been and we'll all go on to be a happy family and read the new chapter, so:**

 **I'm sorry. Had some shit happen this summer that just made it impossible for me to really do much, wasn't really myself. Back and better now, but this time with the all improved package of multiple thousand dollars worth of university education going on at the same time, huzzah (I'm broke).**

 **I'm not going to respond this time to the reviews simply for the reason that I just want you guys to get right into the chapter cause it's been so long, but I will be doing so again in the next chapter. Thank you all so much for the reviews to all you who are somehow still with this story even after all my slacking, and please know that anything you say really helps me all around; whether it be points of fact or just simple encouragement on a good chapter. Love you all.**

 **Now, here is thy chapter comrades. Enjoy!**

Chapter 5

Red Dawn

Pile upon pile of fallen soldiers lay dead upon the bloodstained grass in the clearing cutting through the woods that the majority of the fighting had taken place in. Through the light undertone of mist broken spears, shattered blades, and cracked arrows lay scattered everywhere the eye could see among the corpses; whose ghoulish gazes of pained last expression haunted all that dared to glance. The dying screams of those fatally wounded only served to amplify this dark atmosphere that surrounded the survivors of the battle, and a nearby river running fully red with the blood of the dead didn't help do wonders either.

Perseus walked side by side with Andros going over the slaughter around them with sad eyes. So needless a massacre, such a pointless loss of lives; however such was every war he reasoned with a crestfallen shake of his head. With cloths held over their noses to block out the stench, the two made their way towards the new command grounds; which had been moved further to the side and as far from the heaps of bodies as possible. Each fallen blood red cape or Spartan shield Perseus walked by caused a jolt of pain to run through the Polemarch's body. These men were under his command, and he was responsible for all their fates.

 _None of your deaths will be in vain_. He vowed as he passed another body, this time a youth clearly just old enough to be granted service in the shield wall being carried away by two more Spartans upon his shield.

"I must thank you again for saving me brother. Those hunters.. Nasty bunch they are but by Ares they can fight. I lost more than two thirds of my personal guard trying to hold out against them and the Athenians combined forces. The owl fodder wasn't much hassle but the hunters were able to leap over or through our shield walls with ease." Andros' voice to his left snapped Perseus back to attention.

"Think nothing of it. I only wish we could have saved more.." He responded in a lower voice.

The small fight he and his men had committed to to save Andros had been quicker than expected but resulted in much more casualties than hoped. While Perseus had much of his personal guard; he also had had many wounded and worn out soldiers with him, and when those men went up against the hunters and more higher class Athenian hoplites they were heavily outclassed.

In the end it worked out he supposed. Andros and what was left of his cavalry had been freed to remount their horses and begin the flanking charges; albite with far smaller numbers than they'd had before. Regardless, the routes Perseus expected began to occur and eventually took over in the enemy ranks. The day was won, and the Spartans had defeated a force that must have been twice their size; yet it was a sadly hollow victory with the amount of losses they had received.

So far hundreds of deaths had been confirmed with many more bodies to go. Perseus estimated that at least half of his men had been wiped out; meaning their chances of taking Athens grew slimmer and slimmer by the moment. In order to accomplish their goal now; the other members of the peloponnesian league would really have to carry their military weight. It was a troublesome thought; as for the most part Sparta was the main force military wise in the war. It was with great hesitance that he realized he must send a message back to Sparta and have reinforcements sent to meet them at Athens. How long they would take he was not sure, but he knew they'd need more men.

"Message for you sir." Was the first thing he was told as he entered his command tent by one of his officers; Alekos. "Rider claimed to be from Corinth, your eyes only he said."

Perseus took the letter with a nod of thanks before inquiring. "How fares your brother?"

"Cletus will live, though the poor bastard got himself nicked rather good by those hunters. He did however manage to kill some bigwig from Athens apparently before that though. Bunch of the lads saw it and now they're calling him the Owlsbane. Can you believe that load of horse bollocks?" Alekos said with a clear feigned expression of bewilderment.

"I suppose 'tis not the greatest of titles but it is better than nothing. What was yours again Alekos?" The prince playfully mocked with a raised brow as the other officers in the tent let out lighthearted chuckles.

"Bah, bugger you all." Alekos snorted as he turned back to face the war map sat on the table in the center of the room which all the officers were standing around.

Perseus turned away and motioned for Andros to head to the table as he did so. He wanted to read this message alone so he walked back slightly out of the tent entrance, away from the prying eyes of his underlings.

The seal on the message's crest bore the elegant design used by the nobility of Corinth, so he assumed that this came from one near the top, meaning it was either great news or horrific news. Pulling out his knife he broke open the letter with care, and began reading its contents.

" _To the most noble sire Prince Perseus of Sparta,_ _we are pleased to inform you that the armies of Corinth and Elis are beginning their advance on the target and should arrive at the location by the arranged evening. We will look for you across the battlefield and shall expect that you have begun your assault upon our arrival._

 _Signed, Dexicos of Corith"_

"Well, this is better than expected." Perseus mused aloud, before heading back into the command tent and dropping the letter down in the middle of the table.

"Gentlemen, get the men moving at first light. We continue our march for Athens, where Corinth and Elis will join in our assault to take the city.

A cheer rose up from the throats of the officers, and they began leaving the tent to go begin preparations. They would not get much sleep tonight, but they knew it would be for a better cause than themselves so none complained.

"Perseus, may I have a word?" A soft female voice spoke from behind him slowly."

"Well I can never turn down a chance to speak with you my lady." He teased as he spun to face Zoe and motioned for the two guards posted inside to leave.

Her face blushed with a tinge of red before she continued. "You mean to march on Athens?"

"I do. It is what must be done to end this war."

"Surely you realize that you don't currently have the men?"

"Very perceptive of you Zoe." Perseus teased as he poured himself some wine then offered her a cup of her own.

"I'm serious, how do you plan to do it" She asked as she took the cup gratefully.

"The affairs of state are not those I should freely speak of to any one person not on my council of officers, would you have me break the laws of my nation?" He asked with a semi serious look on his face.

"Yes, I would like to know what I'm getting myself into if I'm to follow you."

Perseus sighed and made his way over a little closer to her but looked away as he answered her. "You won't be getting into anything Zoe. I'll be arranging for one of my officers and a small escort to bring you back to Sparta. You'll be safe there, my mother will look out for you and has offered you a place at our hearth and table.

The daughter of Atlas stood in her spot dumbfounded. She couldn't quite believe what she was hearing. He was sending her away?

"This isn't meant as an offence Zoe, I merely - "

"Well an offence has been given!" She huffed not waiting for him to finish. "You would just cast me away as though I were nothing?"

She remembered the words of Artemis now, how she predicted this would happen.

"If you would allow me to explain - "

"And why should I? I have been nothing but loyal to you! I have fought for you, killed for you, gods above I have turned down getting back immortality for you all because I care for you!" She bursted out the first things that came to mind without thinking, but when the final part came out she covered her mouth quickly. She examined the prince to gage his reaction but as usual it was calm and collected. Gods that infuriated her; how he could always remain in such a state.

"Are you quite done?" He questioned, stone faced.

"No, you know what, I'm not. I think - "

"It was more a rhetorical question. It's my turn to talk now." He cut her off with a quiet voice, and with a shudder Zoe decided she'd have preferred he were yelling.

"I cannot have you on the battlefield because you cause me to second guess myself. I cannot have you on field beside me because you make me consider reckless behaviours. I cannot have you with us because I care about you too, and it makes me question my choices; which I cannot do in my position. In that ambush I almost ran after you, even if you might have been more than alright, instead of Andros. That decision had I made it could've cost us the entire battle. I cannot have that happening, especially if we are to take Athens itself." He paused sadly before continuing. "I must put matters of state before anything if we're to win this war, and that includes you."

Zoe was shocked to say the least. She hadn't even considered he might have some kind of feelings for her, as he was a demigod prince and she was a demititan hesperide; by rights his inherent enemy. Truth be told she wasn't quite sure how to respond to that as all this had happened so suddenly. If she were honest with herself she hadn't really given it much thought until she'd said anything aloud, but God's be reasonable it was not uncommon for a young maiden to develop some form of attraction to a man; a prince no less, who had saved their life.

And yet at the same time he was still sending her away, and that was something she would not abide by.

"So you see me as a nuisance then, is that it?" She questioned angrily.

"No by the gods Zoe I - "

"You can save it, I don't need to hear anymore. I will go. I wish you good fortune in your war Spartan." Without another word she turned around and exited the tent before Perseus could notice the stream of tears that had begun to fall from her charcoal black eyes.

For a moment Perseus stood in silence, then all the emotions he had been holding back came to the surface at once and with one furious shout he smashed the bottom of his fists on the war table; shattering the surface and cracking it down the middle.

 _What have you done you idiot?_ He thought.

~LB~

Zoe and her escort were just passing into Corinth as the sun set signaling the end to another day. They were half way to Sparta by now and she was just as miserable. Her escort officer Imbrus was a nice enough man. His large muscular build would've been eerily intimidating if it weren't for the simple aura of kindness his red tinged brown eyes gave off whenever the man smiled. That, and though he was a demigod son of Ares he did not judge her based on her titan heritage.

Just like Perseus didn't..

She cursed herself for the thought and was brought back to the anger she had for him. He might have had his reasons to send her away but it was the fact that he had done so, commanded so even, that infuriated her. She was not some dog to loyally obey her master, any choices she made should be hers and hers alone.

Her escort came to a stop at the call of Imbrus and she and the twenty other Spartan Hoplites from Perseus' personal guard with her dismounted to make camp. As the men were setting up the tents she walked away from the campground and into a wooded alcove to be alone. She sat down next to a tree and simply took in her surroundings for a while.

The trees around her blew back and forth to the mild breeze and the songbirds chirping their final tunes as the sun went down helped her to find a peaceful state in which to ponder. For how long she sat she knew not, but eventually she drifted deep into thought. A conflict of interest raged on almost as fierce as the battle she had been a part of but days ago before eventually one side won out over the other. It was with a slight tinge of Sadness but with great stubborn determination that she got up from her seated position and rose to her knees in a stance of prayer.

"Artemis, great Goddess of the Moon and Hunt, I pray to you for aid."

Within moments she felt a hand touch her shoulder and she looked up into the childlike but clearly ancient gaze of the Goddess, who with a smile gestured her to rise to her feet.

"You have made the right choice child." She spoke in a calming motherlike voice. "Come now and meet your sisters, you are not alone anymore."

Waves of relief and thankfulness washed over Zoe, however deep down she felt the raw strings of betrayal she knew she was committing tug at her moral fiber. She shoved these down as best she could, after all what loyalty did she now owe Sparta? Or more importantly, what loyalty did she now owe Perseus?

She was so distracted in her thoughts that her usual perceptiveness didn't even notice the blood splatters on a few of the hunters uniforms, and the injuries so obviously shown off by some.

~LB~

Perseus walked up and down the columns of siege works with an appraising eye. His engineers had make quick work of the materials brought to them to form these great monstrosities in the span of a few days. Catapults were arrayed in an even line facing the northmost wall of the city. Siege towers and great ladders could be seen to their flanks and rear, all with men anxiously awaiting the orders to engage. They were anxious he could tell, as the forces from Elis and Corinth had yet to arrive, and none really expected any men from Sparta itself to make it from the capital to the battlefield in time.

Even without reason to do so though, Perseus had to put faith in his allies; for he had no real choice otherwise. This whole initiative and preparation had been made based on letters on a paper, but seeing as that was all he had the prince had to take what he was given. He looked across the field separating his army from the city of his greatest enemy and for a moment took in the beauty of the enchanting maritime goliath. Its legendary stone walls shone even in the blackness of night as though the stars themselves were casting light upon them. The great pillars of libraries, the council chamber, and countless wealthy noble houses stood with bright braziers of fire at their peaks, showing off and giving a slight tinge of light to the city all at the same time.

In a fluent motion he drew his sword from it's scabbard and pointed forward to signal the advance. From a little further behind him he heard a warhorn sound to make clear his order to the rest of the army and as one the soldiers began marching. Column upon column of Spartans marched to the same rhythm in an eerily perfect formation and cadence. Overhead large chunks of stone and fire lit balls flew towards the walls of the city. The prince had ordered one specific area targeted for his main breach; which he would be sending Cletus to lead the charge through. Andros and Alekos had charge of the forces on the walls, while he and Imbrus; who had returned but a day prior with the news of Zoe's vanishing, along with an elite squadron of his finest Royal Guard would work down the length of the wall in an attempt to open the northern gate and allow a large body of Spartans in who were hiding just out of sight of the wall watchers. With luck the main force of Athenians would be so focused on the fighting in the breach and on the walls they wouldn't have too many men posted at the gate, making it perfect to flank the defenders as they tried to hold the breach.

As the Spartans drew near the walls arrows flew forth from what seemed like every crack and Perseus could hear the frantic shouts of the defenders mingled with those of his dying men as his host drew nearer.

"Shield formation! Forward double time!" He called out as he raised his shield above his head and felt the hoplites surrounding him do the same.

"Ladders! To the walls on the double!" He heard Andros yell somewhere off to his left, then heard the same echoed by Alekos to his far right.

Perseus watched as men emerged from under the shields bearing long ladders and running full speed at the walls.

"Skirmishers! Suppress the enemy!" One of his other officers called to his rear, and soon Spartan arrows and javelins began to take flight just as fast as those of the Athenian defenders.

The siege was in full form now, and with one final glance around the surrounding countryside in search of his missing allies, Perseus ran forward following the ladders in disappointment after seeing no new armies yet on the battlefield. Once the ladders were in place he made sure he was the first one climbing; raising his shield above his heads as countless objects and weapons from rocks to spears were cast down in an effort to knock him off. In no time he had reached the top, and after reaching forward quickly to pull the nearest defender off their position above him and cast them down from the wall, he quickly leapt over the top and drew his sword.

For a few minutes he got a little caught up in his battle induced bloodlust and it was only after he'd finished cutting down the Athenian officer in command of his section of the wall that he finally heard Imbrus calling his name amidst the chaos. The siege towers had reached the walls by now and the breach was big enough that Cletus and his men were able to begin their push, however most importantly it seemed that the prince's task force was now fully on the wall and ready to go. He hacked his way over to Imbrus, cutting down any who dared stand in his way without mercy.

Admittedly, the city was far less defended than he had expected it to be, and the majority of the men he continued to cut down appeared to be more city militia than proper professional hoplites and soldiers. With that said there were exceptions, however it was that majority that had the prince on edge. Perhaps they were keeping their main forces further inside the city? He supposed they would not know until later.

"Shall we go then, sire?" The Spartan officer questioned when the two were eventually beside one another, each continuing to fight any nearby enemies as they casually spoke.

"We shall, though I do hope the jog isn't too light on resistance. Where's the fun in a siege without the opposition!" Perseus laughed at his own words and Imbrus just shook his head with a smile.

"By your lead them my lord." And the two set off running down the left side of the wall away from the fighting, thirty of the finest Royal Guard in toe.

The run was unfortunately as the prince had not hoped very unopposed. With only two local militia actually making any attempt to stop them only to flee when they saw just how many were charging down the wall in their direction, Perseus was somewhat disheartened but he knew that once they accomplished their goal then it would all be worth it. They reached the north gate in record time at the steady run they had maintained, only to find it mysteriously unguarded.

"Well this is unusual." Imbrus commented hesitantly, to which Perseus could only nod.

"Send two men into the gatehouse itself to open the gate. Take the rest down the nearest tower steps and make sure no Athenians are able to get near this gate until our forces are through. I'll signal the men."

The officer saluted and went quickly to issue his orders and do as he was bid. One Spartan came forward and presented Perseus with a torch, which he took with a nod of thanks. At a jogging pace they entered the rightmost gate tower and while his men descended he went up. Upon reaching the top he ran to the side of the tower walls and waved his torch side to side three times, paused, then waved it again once more. Slowly from the darkness the sound of clanking armour and weapons could be heard overtop of the creaking gate chains as slowly the most important part of Perseus' pla came into fruition. He walked over to the other side of the tower and smiled widely as he saw his men begin to storm into the almost completely unguarded section of the city in a flanking maneuver that would most certainly overwhelm the citizens defence militias. As quickly as he could, he drew his blade and rushed down to meet up with them and do his duty to Sparta.

~LB~

The aftermath of a battle was an experience Perseus was becoming far too familiar with he reasoned as he stepped through a field of bodies littering the Athenian streets under cover of the hot sun midday Greece was notorious for. They had sacked the city with surprising ease; especially when the armies of Elis and Corinth had arrived. Always the same bloody thing; bad smells, lots of cleaning, and regret at the men you'd lost.

But what he might have hated even more was political meetings; which happened to be the very thing he was headed to to rendezvous with the Corinthian and Elisian commanders Dexicos and Adrastus respectively. Their armies had made their assault on the unguarded gates on the opposite side of the city than the Spartans and had faced far less casualties than Perseus' host; now reduced to a mere few hundred men, because of it. The prince was rather angered by this fact, however he was pleased they had at least honoured their word and showed up at all.

A Corinthian guard made to stop him as he made his way up the stairs of the relatively new building known as the Parthenon but thought better of it once they saw the two royal guards following closely behind the prince. The building truly was a marvel Perseus had to admit, and he knew that it had served some great importance to the Athenians in their worship of Athena. It was a shame they'd have to destroy it to the best of their ability before they departed.

He proceeded to enter the center of the place of worship and standing in the middle under the great statue of Athena were two important looking figures, one of whom he recognized as Adrastus of Elis. The man had clearly seen him too and walked over quickly with a smile before he and Perseus embraced one another.

"Young Perseus, it has been far too young boy" His strong voice strangely hesitant and unmatching of the smile on his face.

"You smile at me as a friend and yet speak to me as a stranger Adrastus. Come, what is the matter."

"Ah it is as I feared, you haven't heard the news. It was delivered by good Dexicos' messengers this very morning following the final hours of battle. It is something we should speak of alone and away from.. Potentially unstable ears."

The prince was puzzled by his old allies' mysterious bearings but agreed all the same; if for nothing else to finally meet Dexicos of Corinth; an ally he had long written to but never met in person, and to satisfy his own personal curiosity. Together he and Adrastus approached the final military leader in the room away from Perseus' guards and introductions were made.

"These are trying times to be sure young Perseus, however you know that as we have ever been Corinth and Elis stand behind Sparta." Dexicos spoke after the brief first meeting words were exchanged.

"I'm sorry but I do not understand what it is you and Adrastus speak of. Why are the times trying? We've just sacked Athens!" He exclaimed with glee and a theatrical raising of his fist in triumph.

"By the Gods you have not heard at all then.." Dexicos looked away as Adrastus placed a supportive hand on Perseus' shoulder.

"Sparta has fallen Perseus. The Athenians and their allies turned the Thebans against us all and with their combined forces they put the city to the torch. That is why the resistance here was so much lighter than expected. I am truly sorry, from what we've heard they've put the citizens to the sword. Those who were in the city at the time.." Adrastus trailed off, knowing that the gist was understood.

Perseus stepped away slowly from his grip and after a few steps fell to his knees. For moments he simply sat there staring blankly at the marble tile beneath him before letting out an enraged cry of anguish and turning to face the sky where he knew the Gods were watching.

"I curse you Athena! I will hunt your line to the brinks of extinction! I curse you Zeus! I curse you with every fabric of my being! There will come a day when Olympus realizes what it has done by this injustice to my people and I will laugh. Joy will be mine as I watch you crumble and fall because of your paranoia and jealousy. Sparta lives on through me, through my men, and for what you have done…" He trailed off before finishing. "Never will my sword be yours."

He turned to Adrastus and Dexicos' stunned expressions at witnessing this curse upon the gods before walking past them with a newly composed authority and certainty.

"You may take your armies and go. Sparta thanks you for your aid but for you, this war is over."

Before he could leave he heard the voice of Adrastus call out to him in desperation.

"And what of you Perseus? Surely you realize that without us there is no hope of winning this war?"

He stopped at the entrance in front of his guards for a brief moment before giving his final words of parting that would echo through eternity.

"Noble Adrastus, this war has only just begun."

 **You like? I hope so, I like to think my writing has gotten a little better with the beginning of my first university year in english and is helping me in some way but can't really be sure yet. Wanted to make sure I got through this battle rather quick as I'm sure the old 'hack n slash' is starting to get a little dried out. Again I'm sorry for how late this was, will try to make sure this is my procrastination focus on off time from assignments here at uni now that I have a lot less distractions around me. Will get the next chapter out as soon as I can before I start to really get smacked with larger assignments. Ill either be moving to modern era next chapter or perhaps medieval, I suppose you'll all have to see when it's out :P!**

 **As always much love and Gods guide you all, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Chrome.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey! How have your week's been? I'm already on my first official university write up for helping my friends put all the room nametags in our building on their door so I'm sure it's going better than mine! Lmao.**

 **So will do a few review responses here this time then jump into the chapter, and I must say hot damn was there a larger number of reviews than normal on the last chapter! Literally seeing new reviews pop up makes my day every day it happens, so thank you all so much for the extra effort last chapter!**

 **Aetemus - I really appreciate you saying that! Yeah I'm going to definitely be working on that this year whenever I can. Being in english gives me the sudden urge to write way more often so I'll be trying to keep up at least a bi weekly update schedule these days that will only be disrupted if I have major assignments due or the like.**

 **Cat Beats - You leave such awesome reviews and I appreciate you, thank you (And I shall have your bank account in my prayers). Exactly! Didn't want people falling asleep while waiting for the in all respects climax of the pre-story. Yeahhh I realized after I uploaded it and reread it it was a little too cheesy, gonna try working on that in the future, thanks for the advice!**

 **YoLOMan - Nice to see another amazing review from you! The history will come to a small starting point of effect here in this chapter as we breach the modern era to a degree! I knew some people would pick up on that right away, glad to hear you did! Yeah, he'll be rather powerful throughout the course of this tale but I'll be trying to keep him below overpowered for its span. Athens fate is mentioned briefly once or twice in this chapter :P**

 **Nihal27 - Glad to hear! You'll find out about how they gained their immortality in this chapter, though it might sadly be a little more simplified than you had hoped (If that's the case I am sorry).**

 **Sorrowful Deity - He'll find out this chapter :P**

 **Thank you again so much to everybody who left a review, you're all superheroes! Here is chapter comrades, enjoy.**

 **POST UPDATE NOTE: If you don't like the time skip, let me know what you think in the reviews of it. Noticed some people have unfollowed because of this update. If popular opinion is that you'd prefer to see me keep it in** **ancient era for longer then perhaps I'll take this down to be updated another time and stay there for a few more chapters.**

Chapter 6

Tooth Fairy

Andros peered over his sunglasses down the length of the bar as yet another drunken fool stumbled out of the building. It had been a long night and he was getting damn tired, but he had his orders and knew he couldn't leave until the target had been located and removed. One of the gods still supporting them, Hades, was a dark character whose gaze could turn a gorgon to stone if they were the cause of his ire. It was definitely not a gaze Andros had any intentions of being on the receiving end of, however it was also not truly the worst possible outcome.

Perseus was much worse these days, and Andros had no intentions of going back to him with failure.

Since they had received their immortality all those years ago from Hades to spite Zeus, many of Andros' brothers had died in the fight against the Athenian remnants still plaguing the earth. Their numbers had dwindled, and while many had died others preferred to set off on their own quests in life and see where the road would take them. Especially after the massacre of their Templar Order set up to combat Olympus from the shadows.

That hadn't turned out well at all.

For years Perseus' creation had exceeded their original expectations in usefulness and in the very end they had been practically fully invested in it. Then, as fortune rather seemed to favour, something awful befell the last Spartans in their cover as the new Templar order was brought crashing down after the betrayal of King Phillip IV of France, due no doubt to the whispers of one meddling God or Goddess.

What was left of the group had split after that with only Perseus, his most loyal officers, royal guard, and a few of the common hoplites staying true to the cause. Perseus had not blamed those that chose to leave, for the years had been long and hard; and he knew that if they ever truly needed them again that they would come to his call.

The internal wars among the remnant tended to be the worst parts of their history. Ambition and immortality for many seemed to go hand in hand, and this theme reared its ugly head twice in the history of the Spartans. Once a small group under a man named Euclid in a failed assassination attempt of the prince, and another in a full blown civil war for separation under one of the Perseus' formerly most trusted officers by the name of Cyrus.

Perseus' loyalists had managed to put down Cyrus' revolt over time, but it had ripped what was left of the Spartan numbers apart. Only a handful still remained in active service to the prince, and Cyrus along with a few of his followers were able to escape in the end, so while victory had been achieved the civil war never truly had ended to the present among the Remnant of Sparta. Just one more enemy on the long list.

The Company of Perseus boasted a mere thirty two active Spartans in all to the present, however there were many informal reserves scattered around the world in hiding from the Gods. They'd never forgiven Perseus for his overdramatic cursing and had definitely not forgotten his statement of never serving them again. Zeus of course would have taken this to mean they intended to side with their enemies and thus the chase began; After they'd plundered Athens for all it was worth and properly sacked it of course.

Through cover they often worked for their patron Ares in their missions, though the god of war had no choice but to openly condone their actions lest he risk war with Olympus. Poseidon had also remained true to the company of his son and from time to time would lend them his aid.

It had been thousands of years of hell. A constant quest for vengeance picking off any children of Athena that they could find in their eternal war against the Goddess of wisdom. However in being enemies of Olympus there was always one great drawback that made Andros envy those who had left the active force to retire to secretive but quiet lives.

Peace.

Something so undervalued by those that have it and something longed for more than anything in the world by those without. Peace was the goal, and yet Andros knew that with their mission it would forever be unattainable. So he longed, but never deluded himself.

He downed a shot of whiskey as three new men walked into the bar. Their formation made it obvious who was the important one of the three, however what shocked Andros slightly was the military uniforms they wore. The information that his target was a soldier must've been looked over or not present when Perseus had explained the mission details to him, however he would proceed regardless.

The man in the middle with his blonde hair, average size build, and small scar running from his neck to his ear was most certainly the man he was looking for. Soldier, no soldier, it made little difference in the grand scheme of things.

This man was a child of Athena, and for that he would die.

Andros pitied the man. The circumstance of his birth doomed him to his fate and yet he had no control over such a thing. He pitied the fact that he had to take the life of one who went on past the life of most demigods to continue aiding of a greater cause in the form of military service. It was not his true home, but the Spartans had been operating out of the United States for long enough that it had in the least become like a second residence to Andros, and he valued those who fought to defend it.

And so it was with minor remorse that he removed two throwing daggers from his sleeves and hurled them faster than any other people in the bar could blink into the heads of the Owlspawn's guards. The target himself was rather fast, but Andros was right on his tail with a third knife in hand the minute he flung himself from the building and began his flight into a nearby alleyway.

Before long the man had run himself into a dead end and turned to face Andros with his hands raised high in the classic boxer's pose. It brought up a chuckle from the Spartan as he casually advanced on the man and closed the distance between them. As he drew nearer he sheathed his knife and entered a fighting stance of his own.

Let there never be a man that said Spartans fought without honour. His opponent had no weapon, so he would go without aswell until he had won the fight. More fun in it that way anyway.

"Wh-who are you?" The shaken voice of the demigod in front of him spoke with a frantic stutter. "What do you want!?"

"Nothing personal young one, just doing my duty." Andros responded in an unshaken voice. "The Spartans send their regards."

The man's face paled perhaps more than the shade of the moon itself at those words, and it was then Andros decided it was time to get started.

~LB~

"Two thousand and closing on five hundred years now Percy. You're getting old."

"Hell if I don't know it. Immortality has its drawbacks." The prince sighed as he kept on typing at his computer. He'd been working on the new relocation instructions for his men for a long time and the words were beginning to get blurred.

"Shall I perhaps ask Hades to reverse it then?" The previous voice chuckled lightheartedly.

"Even if I said yes I know it would never be, you need me Ares and you know it." Percy sighed as he took a sip from one of the bottles of rum that were ever present on his desk whenever he had to do any kind of paperwork.

The prince of Sparta had been Ares' most vital weapon since he began his warpath after the sack of Athens. He and his men had been hunting down every child of Athena they could find for the past two thousand years, occasionally some children of Zeus as well. Those a part of camps Half Blood and Jupiter were spared due to Ares boundaries placed on them however. There were a few underground Athenian resistance movements still trying to work against them to the very day on top of things, and while that was rather amusing, unfortunately Cyrus and his rebels were still at large and that was the major threat to the the Spartan loyalists in the present day.

That, and most of the gods of Olympus if they ever found out they were still alive. For all they knew, the Spartans had died long ago after they wrought terror in the form of years and years of guerilla warfare throughout Greece.

One might call Percy a monster for it, for all the likely innocent lives he had taken for his cause. One would in that case entirely be correct. As the saying went, war made monsters of all, and by Hades Perseus had been fighting his for a long time. Athena had destroyed Sparta, so it only made sense that he should return the favour in the only way he could. He was strong in both power and blade skill, perhaps the strongest demigod to walk the earth, however he was not vain enough to think himself the equal of a god or goddess.

"True enough, true enough" The war god conceded with a wave of his hand whilst walking over to examine what the Spartan was doing on his computer. "What is this? It is not often that I visit, and yet you sit here doing work with a god present in this rather run down establishment!" He half teased.

"My apologies if my abode is not befitting of you lord, I can't exactly fly under the Olympian radar in a permanent penthouse suite." Percy responded with indifference. He knew the god was only joking and had to focus on his work.

He knew in truth though that the place really did need some fixing up. He'd been running things out of this safehouse for a few months and had never really bothered to try cleaning it more than was needed. There were very obvious cracks in many locations along the walls and two prominent leaks that would aggravate anybody but him to no ends whenever it rained. Piles of excess equipment lay in heaps where there was room and there was certainly one too many weapons racks. In his defence he had had a much bigger place and therefore more room for it all in his previous abode, but he supposed that made no difference now.

"You've found another one?" The quiet voice of Ares to his side snapped him back from his zoning. "Where?" Was all the war god asked.

"San Francisco, California." Was his simple response as he resumed typing. "Imbrus just finished off the one in LA and is going to rendezvous with us there. I'm bringing Hyllus and Flavian with me and Alekos will be meeting up with Imbrus halfway there."

"A large party for a simple mission." Ares noted with a raised brow.

"A safety precaution for the region we enter, nothing more."

"Bah, one might call you paranoid boy." Ares chuckled as he swiped Percy's rum and took a swig of his own before frowning in distaste. "What is this? Theban piss blend?"

"I've survived this long by being cautious Ares. You of all know this best." He grabbed the rum back from the god and placed it back on his desk. "And it's called captain morgan, I like it. Sue me."

"Do you honestly expect trouble?" The god pressed on, no longer joking.

Perseus sighed before he responded and closed the computer. He supposed it could be put off until next time he'd sit down.

"I always expect trouble, however yes something about this has been rubbing me the wrong way. I'll have Cletus and five of the other men close by in the area as well just in case."

"Ah, tell the bastard that he should speak to his father from time to time. I haven't seen him since you gave him command of the reconnaissance chapter and he's been right under my bloody nose down there in New York!" Ares jested before turning away and walking a few steps before talking again. "But if you are sure, then I suppose I could lend some aid of my own if you need."

"I have no need of your undead warriors, patron, though I appreciate the offer." Percy smiled before he rose to his feet and walked over to a weapons rack to begin equipping himself.

"Do you mean to leave now?"

He grabbed a few throwing daggers and strapped them into his chest strap before doing the same on his four belt holsters. He then proceeded to pocket a few explosives in his long leather black coat as well as a small standard medical bag he issued to all his bother Spartans and threw it over his shoulder.

"Aye, I leave with the sun, and if I'm correct it will be setting any minute now." He answered when finished as he spun his key chain with his enchanted swords and shield on it in miniature form.

"Your obsession with the night is rather dreary, I'd almost think you a son of Hades."

"Don't tell my father that." Percy laughed dryly as he proceeded to walk towards the secured door of his safehouse.

"Perseus." The voice of the war god made him stop. "Take care, and remember that all those outside the boundaries of the camp are fair game."

The prince of Sparta nodded briefly before turning once more and heading out.

~LB~

So, this was what Ares meant by fair game?

Perseus sat gazing down at the small child of five as she slept soundly in her little bed, the rise and fall of her chest so peacefully ignorant to the world around her. What a grand and intoxicating feeling that innocence must be, to enter such bliss for even but a few short moments again Percy would have given anything.

He was stood in the corner of her room, veiled by the darkness rather well thanks to the blessing of Hades the god had bestowed on him many years ago in return for a rather obscene amount of favours. His black leather jacket, black cargo pants, and black hood that usually kept him better hidden served as a sharp contrast to the bright pink walls all around the room, however his blessing held true he was sure.

The dagger he'd drawn from his side at least ten minutes ago stood just as unused at it had been when freshly unsheathed, and the moral battle raging on in his mind at a point that could only be described as its climax as he tried to force himself to complete the task. This was a daughter of Athena, his most hated and evil enemy on the very earth upon which he stood. The spawn of the very essence that had seen his people butchered in their homes and in the streets for nothing more than their nationality itself. His uncle, his cousins..

His mother.

And yet as he stood there, staring down at the blonde princess curls that so carefully cascaded down her small infant head, he knew that this was not something his mother would ever want. To kill a child… why he'd become worse than an athenian in her eyes if she ever knew he'd even consider such a thing; regardless of the child's origin. He knew he couldn't do this. Though Ares may not be pleased, he would not stoop this low. Not now, and not ever.

Carefully so as not to wake the girl, he sheathed his blade without a sound and made to exit via the window. As he was halfway out he heard a noise, and turned to see the girl staring at him wide eyed from her bed.

"You don't look like the tooth fairy!" She exclaimed, childish disappointment written very clearly on her face.

Despite all, Percy let out a rather true laugh at that. Her reaction to seeing a stranger in her room was far from what he had expected, however he had to play along so as not to arouse any shouting from her. Wouldn't want any mortals to get killed as they try to "protect" their kid.

"No, you are correct young one, that I am not."

She looked down in a crestfallen manner at that. "When is she going to come then, my tooth has been under my pillow for 3 nights now! Katherine says that the tooth fairy doesn't come for bad kids but I don't think I've been bad! The spiders are real, she's just stupid!"

It took Percy a moment before he realized that since she were a daughter of Athena then she must of course have some trouble with spiders, as they were her inherent enemy. Slowly he climbed back into the room fully and reached into his coat pocket for his wallet. Withdrawing a twenty dollar bill he walked over to her as she sat moping and place a soft hand on her shoulder.

"Hey, it's okay kid. Look, the tooth fairy has been real busy these days but she sends me to her special kids. It's my fault that it took so long, got lost on the way here. She wanted me to give you this, but I wasn't supposed to wake you up when I did so you gotta keep this between us or I might lose my job. Okay?" He said with a smile and he handed her the crisp twenty.

The five year old's eyes popped out of her head upon seeing such a large amount of money (At least to her) and rapidly nodded her head as she took it gratefully. Percy chuckled a little and made to turn and leave but was stopped by two small arms wrapping around his waist. He looked back to see the girl hugging him fiercely from his side and couldn't help but smile for a brief moment before forcing a blank expression back to his face.

"Thank you so much mister! I'll have enough to get out of here one day, and this will help alot!"

"Don't thank me kid, thank the tooth fairy." He gently moved her off him and walked towards the window again, but before he fully left he turned back to impart a small amount of wisdom on the child.

"The world's a big place kid, and in a big place there's a lot of liers. Don't believe everything the gods say. Remember that." Before the five year old could react he lept out the window and brought himself into a tucked roll so as to land smoothly on the front lawn. He pulled up the black bandana over his nose he used to protect his identity from any possible peering eyes, and walked across the street into a dark alleyway where he knew his men were waiting.

From the shadows they seemed to materialize like ethereal ghosts then slowly their bodies fully came into picture. All were dressed in similar attire to the prince; Alekos was spinning his swords around in with an evidently bored expression on his face, Flavian and Hyllus gave brief nods of respect to their prince in way of returned greeting, and Imbrus clasped Percy's forearm in his own with a smile.

"Is it done then?" The son of Ares asked, turning to snort as a loud "Fuck!" came from behind him as his half brother cut a small line in his arm from making a mistake in his blade spinning. Perseus simply shook his head at the display then turned to Imbrus.

"It is not."

"Something go wrong? They not there?" He questioned lightly.

"She was just a kid Imbrus. We have committed atrocities in the name of the cause, but how could I justify the murder of a five year old by my sword? We fight to avenge our loves ones and yet when I thought what mine would think should they see such an action it was nothing but scorn and disgust." The prince responded with a sigh.

"Noble of you, but you know father will not like it." Imbrus stated matter-of-factly, seemingly uncaring that Percy hadn't completed the task.

"Of course, but -"

"Hold where you are assassins! No more demigod blood will be spilt by your hands tonight!" A shrill cry called down to them from the roofs above cutting Percy off. He looked up quickly to see at least a dozen bows pointed in their direction from multiple different vantage points.

Females in silver parkas that had a little shine to them in the dark night that covered the sky.

 _Oh joy, hunters._ Percy thought, with joy being about the furthest thing from his mind.

The Spartans drew their weapons quickly, but with Flavian having the only bow between the five of them and Alekos not even having a shield like the rest, things were not looking good. To his dismay Perseus heard more steps coming down the alley's entrance and turned to see at least a dozen more archers in silver parkas running in to block it off.

"I know not who you are or what your cause is against Olympus, but it is time for you to stand down and face the judgement of the gods. Lower your weapons or die where you stand!" A authoritative female voice called out from the alley entrance.

Why did that voice sound so familiar?

Perseus peered over the top of his black hoplite shield that he had called to form from his keychain along with his dark short sword to look at the speaker, and stood stalk still as he gazed into the eyes of one he had long thought dead for many centuries. So many emotions came crashing into him at once, many of which he hadn't felt in a very long time. Happiness was the first genuine emotion that was rapidly engulfed with simple confusion as to how she was still alive. It was then that the fell clutches of hurt and betrayal took hold as he realized she was alive because she had joined their enemies; she was alive because she had betrayed him.

In fairness, he supposed she hadn't really owed him any loyalty, but all the same it hurt him more than words could describe. Whilst he sat in shocked silence, it became apparent he wasn't the only one to recognize the leader of the hunters around them as Alekos' cry broke through the temporary silence.

"Traitor bitch!" The son of Ares called out angrily at one who was either Zoe Nightshade or her exact replica in every way. The demi titan looked stunned for a moment before raising her bow like the rest of her sisters around her.

She knew not who this man was or what he was talking about, but nobody called her a bitch. She alone fired one arrow directly at his chest, only to watch in shock as the tallest among the shadowy figures (Percy) leaped in the way with impossible speed and blocked the arrow with his shield.

Percy was enraged, and when he was enraged he tended not to think as rationally as he normally would. With fingers clasped so hard around the hilt of his stygian steel sword they were turning white he willed all the water from the sewer pipes underneath the hunters to rush to the surface, and in one big torrent Zoe and all the hunters blocking the entrance were blasted upwards and outwards in different directions. This opened up a path, however it also gave the archers above them clear motive to begin firing and soon the Spartans sprinting away with a hail of silver arrows following. Flavian would stop every now and again to return fire as the Spartans made it out into and down the street, and Perseus noticed at least two of Artemis' handmaidens fall from the rooftops with arrows in their chest and neck respectively.

When they turned down another street Perseus couldn't help but smile at how easy it would be to lead these fools into a trap. Cletus was stationed at the end of this block with ten more Spartans, and with those numbers being a little more even the son of Poseidon was certain they could win that fight.

That plan came crashing down the moment a looming figure decked from head to toe in bright golden armour came marching out into their path from a side street with a few dracaenae and two cyclops' following close behind. The figure stood a good many feet above Perseus and his men, and with fluorescent fire spilling forth from its openings and armour crevices it was safe to say that he was more than intimidating enough to inspire fear in the average individual.

"Hyperion." The prince of Sparta growled out in distaste but also with a slight amount of shock.

From his understanding there was no way the titan should already be awakened at the given time. According to all the knowledge they had been collecting over the years the titan's were still many years from rebirth into the mortal world. The figure in front of him seemed to sense this, and it was only after an amused chuckle that he responded.

"Surprised little Spartan? Some of your former allies have been a great help to the the war effort, so I suppose I honestly have you to thank for my early return. The one they call Cyrus had bid me to send you his greetings, for all the good it's worth. " The Titan of light sneered as he made ready his mighty spear.

The monsters behind him hissed and growled as they mimicked the action of their leader, and as Percy turned to look at his back he could see the Hunters blocking their other path with bows drawn and ready. While most were now pointing at the monsters and titan, the latter being viewed in fear, there were still a few bows trained on the Spartans. Percy realized there would be no temporary alliances found here without complete necessity, and the strain it was putting on his mind to come up with some last minute save was making his brain hurt.

Perseus was certainly no ally of anybody associated with Olympus, yet he recognized the threat a titan posed to anybody in the mortal realm alongside that of the gods, and for all his revenge driven missions he still fought to defend the mortals. If he could somehow prove to the hunters they would be a better ally than enemy right now, then perhaps they could get out of this mess alive. Unfortunately, there was only one true way Percy saw that happening, and he knew just how stupid it was. Looking around he could see his men were looking to him for guidance at this point, seeing no way out of their situation.

"Flavian, climb up to the roofs and go get Cletus when the fighting starts. He and the rest of the men will be needed."

The son of Apollo nodded in understanding.

"What do we do sire?" Imbrus questioned eagerly, a small bead of sweat visible coming down from underneath the cowl of his hood.

"We need the hunters on our side until we have more men. Hyperion is the greatest threat to us here."

"So… what does that mean?" Came the voice of Alekos from the far left of Percy

"It means, we charge." and with a mighty smash of his sword against his shield, the prince proceeded to make one of the most foolish decisions he had made in his long life.

He charged head on at a Titan.

 **Get cliffhangered yo. I mean kinda, but not really major, but still kinda. You know what I mean. So my updates will be getting more frequent as I'll be writing whenever I can spare it now except will still take backseat to schoolwork, which, I have a shit ton of now so just throwing that out there. The next chapter will be up either sometime next week or the week following because I do have some big projects coming up.**

 **As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Much love and gods guide you all, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Chrome.**


	8. Chapter 8

**It's late I know, midterms n stuff happened so was busy. Sorry. I will honestly be trying to stick to a bi-weekly schedule, but when big stuff comes up that will usually get interrupted.**

 **In regards to what I think I will do for the time skip: There is a little too much honestly for me to give a fair interpretation of it through a single chapter or so, so I will probably be jumping back to certain events maybe here and there if it is required. That, or I can do what I'd prefer to do and simply write a prequel of what happened in the time between once I've finished this story.**

 **IMPORTANT: I'll put a poll up on my profile regarding those two choices, please vote on what you would prefer!**

 **Thank you so much to the couple of people that did review last chapter, I love you all.**

 **Here is your chapter, hope you enjoy this little bit of a skirmish and set up - though I know it can get dull.**

Chapter 7

On the Styx

 _To be fair, you could have probably been a bit smarter about this._ Percy thought to himself as he went toe to toe with the titan of light.

He surprised even himself upon the discovery that he was able to keep up with the titan, in fact, he was meeting the ancient being stride for stride in their little personal battle while his men and the hunters fought the monsters around them. The fight had been going for a rather long time now, and while it did help that Hyperion had been honourable and shrunk down to his size to meet him he supposed, even with that in play Percy was tiring and couldn't keep this up forever.

He quickly ducked under a swing of the titan's spear and countered with a stab to the right leg. It was deflected with ease, yet Percy wasn't done his assault yet. He rolled to his left and stabbed upwards instead of down, cutting a small gash in Hyperion's sword arm and causing a spurt of golden ichor to pour from the wound. The titan roared in a fury before backing away to assess the mark whilst releasing a wicked growl.

"You fight with skill I have not seen in a demigod before, I will give you that Spartan." He twirled his spear into a ready position again before smirking. "Yet I grow tired of this game, I believe it is past time that I ended it."

Hyperion launched himself at the prince after that with a seemingly renewed vigour, and at this point, all Percy could do was try to stay alive. To anyone watching from afar, the exchange between the titan and himself would have looked more like a dance than your average clash of warriors. The speed with which these two masters of the blade and spear demonstrated their prowess bore an uncanny resemblance to a fight between the gods themselves, though Perseus would never grow vain enough to consider himself an equal to them.

At this point however, even from the outside it was clear to see the prince's resolve was starting to waver. Every now and then he would make a mistake because of his mounting fatigue, and it would result in a new wound being formed at the tip of Hyperion's spear somewhere on his body. His time was drawing near unless by some miracle a god; one that was not trying to kill them at that, appeared out of thin air to their assistance.

He twirled his sword to catch Hyperion's spear tip moments before it would have punctured his shoulder and responded with a hard bash of his shield to send the titan sprawling backward. Using what time he had he turned to the closest Spartan he could see, which happened to be Alekos.

"Alekos!" He called to the man as he went blow for blow with two of the many Dracaena Hyperion had brought with him.

"A little busy!" The Spartan officer called out over the noise of battle that surrounded him while proceeding to behead one of the snake women.

"When your brother arrives, get the men together in formation. Once this fight has ended don't be surprised if another one is required!"

He didn't have time to pay attention to whether the man responded with an affirmative as he turned back to meet the now rising Hyperion once more. Percy cracked his neck twice and banged his shield with his sword once before charging the titan, hoping to catch him off guard as he found his bearings. He threw himself into the air with a mighty roar and actually managed to gouge another large cut down the ancient one's side before he was violently hurled back into a building by strength only a titan could possess. He felt his arm dislocate upon impact, and was certain he had at least a few broken bones from the amount of brick he had just smashed through. It was all he could do to groggily raise his head as he watched the titan of light descend upon him with a spear raised high.

"For all your mortality you have been a worthy adversary demigod. I shall make your death a swift one, unless you're ready to pledge yourself to our liege?" Hyperion asked, poised to kill.

"Your liege can suck my cock." Perseus spat out with a bloody smile before he spread his arms and beckoned his end. For all that he was still needed for, this had been a long time coming.

"Pitty, you could have made things so much easier for us."

Perseus, ever the brave Spartan leader he was born to be stared down death defiant as if it were just one more obstacle to conquer. Before the titan could bring down his spear, however, a flash of light appeared right behind him, and the prince breathed out a sigh of relief he didn't know he'd been holding.

~LB~

As loathe as she was to admit it, the leader of the group of would-be assassins impressed Zoe greatly with his fighting skills. Not only was the man standing toe to toe with a titan and not dead, but he was even managing to get a few cuts in of his own on the immortal being. The fact that he and his men had charged the agents of the enemy as soon as they saw them meant to Zoe that at least the two must not be working together, and so the rational part of her brain had grudgingly forced her to side with the humans against the monsters rather than sitting back and killing them all. So much was going through her head however that she hardly had time to process anything before she had stabbed a dracaena three times in the chest and hurled some of the golden ashes it became into the single eye of one of the large cyclops.

There was a living, breathing, and very much not dead titan standing among them at that very moment. Everything she had been told by the gods over the years pointed to the fact that none but the peaceful ones should be walking the surface of the earth right now, and even those ones had their cages. Yet here stood Hyperion, the titan of light and one of the most powerful of Kronos' generals of old. It felt so surreal that Zoe had almost forgotten to pray to Artemis when the encounter began'.

Almost.

Her mistress had informed her that she would be there as soon as she could, but pressing matters with the council required her attention first. Zoe had been instructed not to take any risks and to await her goddess' arrival before making any kind of actions. It was only natural that the first thing she had done was instruct the hunters to attack, for had they had let the men attack alone then once they had been finished off the hunt would stand against the titan with no allies.

Her heart sunk a little as she watched the leader of the men be sent flying into a building, breaking a wall in the process and likely many bones. A shame to be sure, but it wasn't like she had expected any different outcome. Even for all his skill, a mortal could not stand up to a titan and live. She continued her fighting, yet out of the corner of her eye kept watch over the titan. When a flash of light appeared behind him, she quickly averted her eyes and a smile grew on her face. Artemis must have arrived.

As she turned back though to look again, she realized that the figure that had appeared was most certainly not her mistress. He was a towering man, broad of shoulder and decked from head to toe in traditional hoplite armour. In his hands, he wielded a massive blood red broadsword with a boar's head pommel, its blade was embedded in the torso of the titan of light.

The titan was laughing, rambling on about how he wouldn't be gone long or something along those lines as if he were a cheesy old movie villain before he vanished. As the man who had struck the blow lowered himself to inspect the body of the assassin leader, realization his Zoe like a truck and she quickly sent another prayer up to Artemis to arrive with haste.

Flashed in appearance, sending a titan into retreat, boar's head symbols - this could be none other than lord Ares. And if he was assisting the assassins... Well, it didn't bode well for the hunt.

Salvation came in the form of a higher pitched female voice however, as the recognizable childish form of Artemis appeared on the battlefield as well.

"What is the meaning of this Ares!" The goddess of the hunt called out with her bow knocked yet unraised.

Looking around the street Zoe could see that the monsters had apparently disappeared with Hyperion, and now the hunters faced down the black coated men once more with weapons drawn.

"Ah dearest sister, what a welcome surprise!" Ares beamed with clearly fake joy as he moved towards her with arms spread wide.

It was then that Artemis decided to raise her bow, stopping Ares' advance rather quickly.

"Interference in this matter by any other god is against the ancient laws, you cannot be here." She growled.

"Oh well forgive me for saving your hunters, I felt there was a battle going on through my domains and decided to have a peak. Luckily for you I had, Hyperion was here."

"You.. You lie! He couldn't possibly be among us again." Artemis' tone gave away nothing but disbelief, however in her eyes Zoe could see the slightest tinge of fear.

"He tells the truth my lady, the titan was here." Zoe spoke up.

The goddess turned to her before slowly lowering her bow and frowning.

"This is something that must be brought to the council immediately then. Zoe, have the girls restrain these men then I shall bring us all to Olympus. There is much to be discussed on this night."

At the goddess' words Zoe turned to look at the men in question. To her surprise, not a one had moved to flee or attack after what they had certainly just heard. Indeed, beneath the veil of one's hood she thought she could just make out the barest hints of a smile. Seemingly unaffected, one from among them lowered his sword and shield and gestured to their wounded leader, and two of them went to pick him up using their shields as a makeshift stretcher.

"There is no need for that, you're all going to the same place." Zoe called out with slight venom as she and a few of her fellow hunters surrounded the mysterious men.

"Actually little demi titan, you might not be fully correct on that account." Ares grinned from his spot leaning on the side of the building in a casual stance.

Zoe looked to her mistress confused, who in turn raised a brow at Ares.

"What do you mean by that, _Brother."_ She spat out the word brother as though it were a venomous substance upon her tongue, which only served to bring up a jolly smile from Ares who had strolled over now to stand with the men.

"Oh, simply that these men will be coming with me instead. Can't have our drama queen of a father or owl bitch discovering my little side project. You understand of course." He shifted his broadsword in a seemingly meaningless manner to stand on his shoulder, though Zoe knew in truth this was a gesture that meant he was ready to fight.

"Do you plot against Olympus? Have you fallen so far as to betray your own kin Ares?" Artemis growled, and Zoe took a few steps back to be out of the way of the inevitable godly battle that was about to take place.

"My kin betrayed me the day Sparta fell Artemis, do not lecture me as though betrayal is some foreign concept in this family." The god of war retorted. "However as much as it is deserved, no I have no plans against the council. These men are simply under my protection."

Zoe's mistress had seemingly had enough however and had pointed her arrow right at Ares' head by this point.

"Once I have killed your pets I will personally bring you before the council to answer for your treason. There we will see if you speak the truth." She was about to let her arrow fly before Ares gave a high pitched whistle and more men dressed in black appeared along the rooftops on each side of the street, effectively surrounding the hunters.

Within moments the hunters all had bows drawn and pointed, however this didn't seem to affect any of the men on the rooftops - all of whom stood deathly still and with a wide variety of weapons from an ancient Greek short sword to a medieval flail. Zoe was not sure who would come out on top of this fight, but either way it went many hunters would die. And if these ones fought anything like the few they had briefly combatted before…

"My lady, these warriors are skilled.." She cautioned her mistress, who didn't acknowledge her statement though it was apparent she had heard.

"She is correct Artemis, at least in the broadest of terms. Each of my warriors is just as old if not older than your eldest huntress there and possess the fighting skills and powers one can only attain through such long lifetimes of training. My young captain here stood toe to toe with Hyperion himself for a long while before either of us arrived, gave him a few scratches as well."

Artemis looked to Zoe to see if Ares' last statement was true, and all the lieutenant of the hunt could do was nod. Ares had the advantage here and he knew it.

"Now, there are two ways this can go down." He spoke with his former fake smile. "Either your entire hunt dies here, or you swear on the styx and your immortal soul itself that you will tell no one of what you have learned about my little organization on this night and we can all live happily ever after."

Zoe grimaced. While she was willing to die for her goddess, she knew that her old friend valued the lives of her hunters far too much to allow the deaths of them all just to report some shady group Ares ran in the shadows. Her prediction came true as Artemis let out a frustrated growl before nodding her head.

"When this does eventually come to light know that I will take great pleasure in watching your punishment play out Ares. I, Phoebe Artemis, daughter of Zeus of Leto, swear on the Styx and my immortal soul to your terms. May you choke on them."

"Good, good!" Ares sheathed his sword and clapped his hands. "That wasn't so hard was it? Suppose we should be going now. Until next time Art."

The air of tension surrounding all those present was impossible to miss as the hunters, angered by this embarrassing surrender glared into the cowls of the seemingly emotionless dark figures of Ares' cult. Zoe had to place a hand on her fellow hunter Atlanta's shoulder when she saw the look on her face to ensure she wouldn't do anything rash. She didn't like the idea any more than her sisters did, however she also recognized the skill these men seemed to possess after watching them and their captain fight, and she would not have any of the hunters die out of a matter of petty pride.

Ares and his men seemed to have melted into the shadows when she had blinked, for as she looked around her she could see none left. It appeared that not a single one had fallen in the battle with the monsters, as she could not see any of their corpses scattered among the golden dust-covered concrete. She shook her head at the complete shame they had brought to their goddess this night and turned to face said figure with head hung low.

Not only had they failed in their mission to stop the group of assassins that had been targeting demigod children of Athena, but they had been utterly shown up and had their abilities snubbed by the god of war and his lackeys. Worst of all though was the losses of three different hunters this night, two to the arrows of the men, and one to a cyclops' club. Zoe knew Artemis would not take this well, so she followed the goddess as she stormed away from her handmaidens with some offhand excuse of wanting peace to think.

She followed her for some time, trying to keep low and out of sight. Alas, it was to no avail when Artemis sighed and turned around to look directly at her hiding spot.

"Zoe, I taught you everything you know. Did you truly think you could sneak up on me?"

The lieutenant cursed and rose from her position, then made her way closer so that she could make better conversation.

"If you don't mind me asking my lady, with all that has happened, are you well?" She asked the goddess with concern.

All the girls of the hunt called each other sisters. There was an inexplicable bond that formed among the "daughters" of the moon that seemed to come with the blessing of Artemis making them inseparable and loyal to one another. Artemis was the one they all looked up to, the mother figure that most of them had never had and the hero they worshipped with their every breath.

Yet to Zoe, Artemis was truly a sister. The two had been through so much together over the last 2000 years or so and forged a bond so close that they might as well have been true kin. As the eldest of the current hunters, Zoe had seen the goddess at her worst and her best, and she had been the shoulder to cry on whenever she needed to simply embrace her woefully mortal emotions. She would march on the doors of death themselves if Artemis asked it, and she liked to think that she felt the same way.

"I cannot say just yet, losing three of the girls in one night has been.. Hard." A single tear ran down her face as she spoke. "And having such a threatening group to Olympus out there that I'm now unable to do anything about.."

"Nobody said we couldn't do anything." Zoe pointed out, a plan beginning to formulate in her mind.

"I swore on the Styx and my own immortal soul Zoe, I am bound tighter than a hog before the slaughter."

"You swore not to tell anyone, but you didn't swear not to take action."

Realization took hold on Artemis' face as Zoe's words finally began to make sense to her. A slight tinge of pink rose to her cheeks in embarrassment at not having understood the idea beforehand. It was so simple and yet she hadn't even considered it until now.

"You would have us take actions against them alone?"

"Not all of them, we know that might not likely turn out in our favour. However, if we could maybe get one and bring him before the council…" Zoe trailed off, allowing the open ending to set in.

"Then our job is done for us and I need not break my oath." The goddess finished, a delicate smile beginning to shine through her formerly gloomy exterior. "Well then there is no time to waste, we must gather as much information as we can before we set out to find-"

"My lady, we've found something!" She was cut off as her second eldest hunter, Pheobe, came rushing up towards her and Zoe with something in her hand.

"Well, now this is rather interesting indeed.." Artemis said as she tentatively took the object in her hand.

~LB~

"You couldn't have let us just kill them, father?" Alekos asked the god of war back at one of their main gathering halls.

"The oath was easier, Artemis would have gone to the ends of the earth and back to kill every one of you who was there tonight had her hunt been destroyed there. Let it not trouble your brain boy, your brother was always the thinker." Ares joked as he patted his son on the back and made his way over to where Perseus was laying on a medical cot with Flavian seeing to his wounds.

The dimly lit room around them was actually quite spacious. This building served as one of the many headquarters Ares had built that Percy refused personally to ever stay in for too long for fear of detection, yet there were always some Spartan operatives coming and going. The large foyer just outside lead into multiple different rooms containing barracks, a training room, lounge areas, and an armoury. All state of the art and with loyal mortals acting as staff whose families had served Ares for generations, the facility and all those like it were effective locations to house Ares' men.

"You did well today prince of Sparta, very well." the war god said as he beamed down as his prodigy.

"I lost." Was the only response that came from the demigod as he stared into the blank ceiling, refusing to meet Ares' eyes.

"To a bloody titan boy! The fact that you're still alive is a testament to your skill, your modesty is sharpened to a point of annoyance." Ares' voice rose slightly in volume.

"Perhaps."

All the god could do was shake his head. This man had been his greatest asset over the past two thousand years and yet he was always trying to prove something to himself when he wasn't putting the lives of his men as his top priority. Perseus was the greatest warrior in Greek history, of that Ares had no doubt, but he never stopped reaching for the impossible. Both a blessing and a curse in different lights he supposed, but by Hades is was frustrating.

"My son informs me you ran into a ghost of the past?" Ares decided perhaps it was best to change the conversation lest this become hostile.

He worried this might be an even more touchy subject however, as the moment it was mentioned Percy visibly bristled and his expression became darker. It was only now that he lowered his eyes from the ceiling and cast them in his patron's direction, the anger held within sending a blended feeling of curiosity and intrigue down the god of war's spine.

"The girl is nothing to me now. If you're worried whether I can kill her or not, my answer is happily."

Ares nodded at this fact, pleased that there was nothing to worry about. Of course he knew what part the hunters had played in Sparta's destruction and therefore the reasoning the remnant Spartans held such ire for them, however, he also knew the feelings the prince once held for Artemis' lieutenant. It was good to see they were no longer there, or at least not something to worry about. He wanted to press the subject a little further but was cut off by his son from the door.

"Hey uh don't mean to alarm you paps and bossman, but we might have a problem."

Ares simply raised a brow to motion for him to go on.

"Hyllus may or may not have had his necklace cut off in the fighting, and he can't find it."

"Explain to me the relevance of this situation boy." Ares said with a hand pressed to the bridge of his nose in exasperation.

"His Spartan necklace father, bearing the symbol of a people Olympus had long thought dead until now. Our symbol."

"Ah. Shit." Perseus spoke from his cot.

 _That's putting it mildly._ The god thought to himself.

 **Please remember to let me know what you think in the reviews! I'm now putting up updates on my profile a few days before I intend to update the story so be sure to tune in there every once in a while! Apologies for the filler, had to set up the feud better between the Spartans and hunters before being able to move forward into the canonical phases of the book.**

 **As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Much love and gods guide you, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Chrome.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Yeah it's late, I had like 5 huge papers I had to do and shit had to take precedence, sorry guys! I'm back in final exam season and will be focusing on that now, but will try to get the next chapter out in a reasonable time.**

 **Thank you so much to everybody who reviewed, we finally hit 100! You guys have no idea how much that means to me, you're all the best! The scene of this chapter is a little less original than I would like but I felt it would be easiest to incorporate it and show all parties I wanted represented this chapter.**

 **REMEMBER TO VOTE ON THE POLL ON MY PROFILE PAGE, WE GOT LIKE 4 VOTES SO FAR.**

 **I hope you guys enjoy!**

Chapter 8

Didn't Know What Hit Him

 _Nine years after the clash between the hunters and Spartans._

Percy sat in a tree while happily humming away to himself as he cut a slice off his apple. The evening so far had surprisingly been pleasant in terms of the weather, and the son of Poseidon found he was actually finding a somewhat tranquil sense of peace flow over him as he gazed at the clear but darkening sky. Of course, he knew it wouldn't last, but that didn't mean he couldn't enjoy it while it did.

He had been sent here at the behest of Hades to rescue his kids Bianca and Nico Di Angelo before Olympus could get to them. Normally an easy enough sounding task, however, he hadn't expected the gods to mobilize as quickly as they had. Upon arriving in Maine at Westover Hall boarding school, he and the five good men he had brought with him had immediately noticed the presence of three half-bloods and a satyr. Annoyingly enough, Percy recognized them as members of Camp Half-Blood and therefore he had to avoid harming them if he could.

The group almost unanimously voted in favour of sitting outside in the nearby trees and wait. When the demigods exited the building with the children of Hades, they'd simply leap down and politely force them to hand them over. If necessary they'd knock the campers out before proceeding to free the kiddies for old man Hades and have a god in their debt; which was definitely a big factor the Spartans could use in their playbook further down the line.

"I still thought my idea would have been better." Baruch called in a disgruntled voice from the next tree over, his evidently ancient tongue of greek used would have only been identifiable by a demigod or another member of the greek world.

The son of Eris had been the one exception to the unanimity. Instead of the casual approach they were taking now, he would have had them bomb an empty part of the building and cause a mass exodus of the school. In the ensuing chaos, the children of Hades would be easy targets to spot out and they could just snatch them from the crowds. A far more complicated and easily overruled solution, much to Baruch's disappointment.

"And I wish I was back in New York with a bottle of Kraken in one hand and a hooker in the other, but we can't always have nice things can we Baruch?" Alekos called out from another tree in the same greek. The following chuckles of Andros, Flavian, and Cletus could be heard from further out.

"Not to put a damper on the mood Percy but what do you want us to do if the hunt turns up out of nowhere? They've been on our tale for years now and while we may be travelling in bigger numbers than normal because of it, they'd still heavily outnumber us.." Andros piped up from his tree once the laughter had subsided.

Before the prince could answer, however, the attention of the Spartan's was torn from the conversation as they saw a man dragging the two demigods they had been sent here to collect out of the building. Percy gave a low whistle to signal for full quiet and then another different in pitch to order they tail the man while remaining undetected. As the man walked towards a path near the forest, the Spartans leapt from tree to tree slowly behind him; making sure not to get too close but remain within just enough distance to trail him. This trend continued for a while until Perseus heard a sudden bird call he knew was truly coming from the mouth of one of his men to signal distress, immediately triggering him to assess what was going on.

When he turned back, he saw Flavian pointing down directly at one of the demigods that had been sent by Olympus who also appeared to be trailing the man. The kid was a little scrawny of stature, but similarly to Percy, he had jet black hair and if his vision wasn't deceiving him what looked to be sea green eyes as well. He was wearing a semi-formal collared shirt, Percy assumed this meant they had tried to blend in at whatever event had been going on inside, and all the resemblance left Percy to conclude this was in all likelihood one of his half-siblings.

It was strange to see a sibling of his after so long. Poseidon was not the most celibate of gods, of course, however his father was arguably one of the most honourable. When he made an oath he tended to stick to it, yet here stood this kid a direct contrast to that statement. While normally this alone would have been enough to set his mind spinning, it was something else that truly caught the prince's attention. In his hands, he held a beautiful blade that made him stop and gawk for a second.

"Anaklusmos.." Percy whispered to himself, the memories he had attached to the blade coming to the surface of his mind to sting his emotions.

The last person he had seen wield that blade had been a colossal knob jockey. If the boy were the same then perhaps he'd have to take it from him, however, he would wait to let the kid prove himself. He couldn't understand why but something in his gut was screaming that there was something special about this kid, he simply couldn't put his finger on it.

 _Either way, the blade belongs to another..._ A voice spoke in the farthest corners of his mind, which he quickly subdued.

"Nothing more than a spoil of war now." He muttered to himself in his successful effort to kill the voice.

He continued to follow through the treetops both the boy and the man with the kids until they reached a little cliff. Surrounding them was a small clearing where the now present moon was providing only the slightest rays of light, making it ideal for the Spartan's current attire. Looking over to Alekos, who was glaring hard at the man as he went on a rant about how his masters would be pleased to see the two children, Percy made to inform his soldier what he believed this thing to truly be. Before he could speak, however, his fellow Spartan beat him to it.

"Manticore. His attitudes and movements reek of one. Shouldn't be too tough."

Percy nodded his head once in acknowledgement, but then movement from the boy with the legendary blade caught his eye and he raised a brow. The kid had walked out into the open to challenge the man alone. At this point, Percy couldn't tell if he was stupid, reckless or brave, but what he could tell was that the kid had balls; not just any pre-teen looking demigod would stand up to an obviously veiled monster alone.

He was a little disappointed to see the kid go down shortly after the man morphed into his true manticore form and shot a thorn at him, however, he hadn't really expected much else as he had to remember that regardless of heritage this was still just a child.

"We gonna hop in now, sir?" Cletus whispered from closely beside him in the same tree, only for Percy to respond with a shake of his head.

"I want to hear what the tool says, then we'll gut him and be off."

This choice proved to be the correct one as the manticore; a clearly very egotistical being who the kid had referred to as Dr Thorn, began a long speech as a means of rubbing salt in the wound to the downed demigod.

"You can't even begin to comprehend what's coming your way little demigod. I could kill you right here and now if I so wanted, but I almost wonder if it would be more painful to leave you alive so you can witness the destruction my master will rain down upon your world. A great stirring is happening my young friend, and you and your gods truly won't know what hit you."

Directly following that comment, the manticore cried out in pain as an arrow whizzed into his left eye and he recoiled right as Percy turned in anger to look at Flavian, the only one armed with a bow in their party.

"I'm sorry, the pun was too perfect to miss. Look, he didn't know what hit him!" The son of Apollo laughed out loud at his own joke, and Percy heard Alekos join in not far off.

"When we get back, you're on latrine duty for a month." He said to Flavian as he jumped down from his tree and walked towards the manticore and demigods.

"We don't have latrines.." The archer questioned slightly, confusion evident in his voice.

"We will now."

"Worth it." Percy heard him say as he and the other Spartans mimicked their prince's actions.

Now fully entering the slight clearing, the Spartans casually approached the furious manticore. The moonlight did very little to give them away in their pure black attire combined with their generally black weapons, but once they were close enough Andros coughed intentionally so the now one-eyed beast would be aware of their presence.

"Flavian, check on the camper over there. Andros, Cletus, get the kids. Alekos, Baruch, watch the treeline." The prince barked out orders in ancient Greek, and as he drew his sword and brought out his shield he could see the youngest child of Hades; the boy, with a huge smile and a look of awe in his eyes as Percy lined up across from the manticore.

Some would call it vanity to an extent, but the prince disagreed and had always had a little bit of pride stream through his veins when people looked up to him like that. Being seen as an enemy of his own culture for almost his entire life might have had something to do with that he supposed, but such was life. He glared down the manticore, who was doing his best to look menacing at the moment as it beared its claws and swung its tail from side to side with pincer facing forward.

"I'll kill every one of you puny demigods if I-" He stopped when he saw the Spartan symbol on Percy's shield and the prince smirked when he saw a look of fear appear on the monster's face. "That's.. That's not possible! You're all dead!" He began backing away slowly.

"It would seem your overlord has been keeping secrets from you," Percy said as he readied his weapons. "But alas, indeed we are, and we intend to keep it that way. Unfortunately for you my friend, that means you will not be allowed to survive this encounter."

"Well if that's the case, I shall not go easily!" The monster was not the most advanced of being, however, the speed with which he leapt forth and began to charge was somewhat impressive.

Naturally, Percy did the same.

When they were both within range of each other, each swung once with claws and sword respectively as they proceeded to run by one another. If one were to compare it, it almost looked exactly like one of those old samurai movies with the cheesy charge and single stroke victory of one warrior in a duel. Seconds after, Thorn had fallen to the ground and was dissolving into a pile of dust as Percy sheathed his sword, content.

"THAT. WAS. AWESOME!" He heard a young voice call and he turned with a smile on his face in the direction of the youngest child of Hades.

His sister elbowed him in the ribs in an effort to keep him quiet, but the movement didn't seem to even vex the kid as he proceeded to go on a tirade of questions aimed at any of the nearby Spartans and Percy.

"Who are you guys? Are you gods? How did you learn to fight so well? Can I be one of you?"

The last question made Percy chuckle, and he walked over to the boy before dropping to one knee in front of him and ruffling his long pitch black hair.

"All will be revealed in time young one, your father sent us to bring you and your sister home."

The kid's eyes became wide at this, but before he could say anything Alekos tapped on Perseus shoulder to alert him to the fact that they would have company momentarily. Soon after two young girls and a satyr came storming out of the woods with weapons raised, only to stop in confusion upon seeing the Spartans and not Dr Thorn in front of them.

"Who the fuck are you?" The punk looking girl with spiked up hair and a spear asked with a fierce expression. It was evident simply by the way she carried herself and her almost electric attitude this was a child of Zeus.

"We could ask the same of you." Baruch spoke from his spot a little to the right of Perseus where he was leaned up against a tree. The jump that followed his words from the campers seemed to indicate that they had not even seen him until then and made all the Spartans chuckle.

"Who are any of you!?" The daughter of Hades screamed out as she pulled her brother behind her, much to his own disdain and protest. Her face had contorted into a fearful yet unwavering expression, and the fiery temper of a determined youth was very prevalent in her eyes.

"Relax, we're here to help you Bianca Di Angelo," Percy spoke with his authoritative voice before turning to the trio of campers. "As for you, you can go on your way and pretend you never saw us demigods. Nobody needs to get hurt tonight."

"Give us back Theseus!" The blonde girl of the group called out with fear partially clear in her voice but determination was the dominant presence.

Percy took a moment to study this one more than he had the rest. So much was going on right now that he just had to give himself a moment to breathe. Something about this girl seemed oddly familiar, right down from her golden princess curls to her vibrant grey eyes, but he couldn't put his finger on it for the life of him.

 _Grey eyes!_ His brain screamed before it dawned on him.

This was a child of Athena, and judging by her age and looks, it was also the one they had spared all those years ago before his run-in with the hunters and Hyperion. She looked to be about fourteen now if he had to guess, that would fit the time gap at least, and aside from her height not too much had changed about her except the addition of a more tanned complexion. Percy glanced over to where Flavian had the boy they so desperately wanted and raised a silent brow to the son of Apollo to check on his status.

"He'll live, just a little temporary weakness from the poison my lord." Normally Flavian could joke around with him, however like most of the other Spartans he knew that when it was not just them customs dictated that he show respect to his liege.

As if to emphasize this point, the boy groggily rose to his feet with the son of Apollo's help and took in the Spartans.

"Thanks for uh, saving my life and stuff.." The boy, now known to be Theseus said awkwardly to Percy, who simply nodded in response with a smile.

He gestured for Flavian to let the kid go and as he walked back to his friends Percy turned to make ready to leave. They had dallied long enough and he sensed there were others approaching from the woods at an alarming rate. The moon, now shining above them to signal the night, had dimmed slightly. While there were many reasons that could be behind such a common phenomenon, Percy was content not to take any chances.

 _The shadows Perseus, walk into them and I will do the rest._ A voice commanded in his head. Unmistakably the grim and dark voice of Hades, yet if Percy didn't know any better he'd almost had thought there were some faint hints of excitement and joy present in his words.

 _As you say lord Hades._ He responded before relaying the orders to his men.

Bianca struggled at first, and eventually, Percy simply had Alekos throw her over his shoulder and walk first into the nearest shadowed location. He watched in satisfaction as they disappeared completely and then motioned for the rest of the men and Nico to follow. Once they were all through, Perseus made to follow but a voice from behind him made him stop.

"Wait! Who are you?" The blonde girl, Annabeth if he recalled from all those years ago, had stayed behind a ways while her friends had already begun to help the injured Son of Poseidon back in the direction of Westover Hall.

She had a quizzical look on her face, and he almost laughed at how much it resembled her mother's in that moment. Here was one of the few children of Athena he had chosen to spare over the years and it looked like she had grown up to resemble her mother in more than a few ways. Whether this would be a good thing or a bad thing Perseus was in all honesty interested to see. He supposed he'd have to keep an eye on the camp more now, and the fact that he now knew he had a brother there only helped to amplify that motivation. He smirked at the girl before he pulled out his wallet and removed a twenty dollar bill.

"I'm hurt you don't remember me kid. I'll be frank with you the tooth fairy wasn't all that happy about our last meeting though, so make sure you keep this one hush hush alright?" His smirk grew into a genuine smile before he tossed the twenty into the wind in her direction and backed up into the shadows to follow his men.

~LB~

Annabeth's heart skipped a beat as the men disappeared from view and a memory from her early years jumped to the forefront of her mind from a place it had lied dormant and forgotten for many years. The man had worn the exact same clothes, and though she never remembered seeing his face the voice bore a striking resemblance to that of the man from her youth. This man's twenty dollar gift that at the time she had believed came from the tooth fairy had been a changing point in her life, where she had begun to save up her money she'd need to run away from home 2 years later. She'd never really thought about it until now, and while she could pass this off as simply the forgetfulness of her mortal side from her childhood years, she felt it more likely a trick of the mist.

"Theo, you okay?" She heard Thalia ask the son of Poseidon who was leaned up now against a tree.

This snapped her out of her blast from the past and brought her back to the present. The dark cloaked man and his companions were clearly subject for thought, but at the present, they weren't the most concerning.

"Actually, I'm feeling pretty golden." The other dark haired youth replied as he rose to his feet and kicked his leg out a bit to test it. "I don't know what that guy did but whatever it was it sure helped."

"What were you thinking running ahead alone! Do you know what could've happened if those men hadn't gotten here to save you before us!" Annabeth felt her own voice rise up, concern tainted with slight frustration as she advanced on her friend. Before the boy could respond though, another voice broke from behind the demigods and Grover, their accompanying satyr and Theseus' best friend.

"She's right boy! Only an idiot leaves the strength of the pack behind to pursue a hunt alone. Then again, your stupidity is understandable given your gender." By Thalia's rolled eyes when the definitively feminine voice first spoke Annabeth assumed she knew the speaker, and that she was not her biggest fan.

"What are you doing here Phoebe? I told you and twinkle tiara I'm not joining your cult."

"Peace Thalia, we are not here for you." Now that they were turned around Annabeth could see this new voice belonged to a black haired girl with a silver tiara. She had a hand on the shoulder of another girl whom Annabeth assumed was the former speaker if her seething expression was anything to judge.

"Well, not much else here now is there?" The daughter of Zeus quirked a brow up and unconsciously gripped her spear a little tighter.

"But there was, and we wish to know where they went." A younger girl seemed to appear out of nowhere as she casually walked up from behind the demigods, making Grover almost jump out of his skin in fright and Theseus do a quick double take from his tree.

The tension that followed was slight but noticeable. On the one hand, Annabeth had never seen the lady Artemis before and it was always kind of cool to meet another of the Gods. On the other, the way she spoke just then made it seem like she was here for an interrogation, not a simple talk. What interest did Olympus have in the two children she wondered? Or were they more focused on the men in black? She supposed it was probably the latter with all things considered, after all, they appeared to be the greatest threat - and she'd be one hell of a liar if she tried to say that wasn't one of Olympus' primary focus'.

Annabeth didn't like the initial impression she got of these girls, but regardless she knew she had to be respectful to the goddess. At the same time, though she knew she owed him no true loyalty, she was somewhat loathe to give information on her "tooth fairy". She was young but she wasn't an idiot, and thereby had rationed out long ago the probable reason some ancient being had magically shown up in her childhood bedroom when she was a kid. Either the guy was investigating her at an early age for a sign of threat, or he had come to kill her and changed his mind. The first was rather unlikely, for as much as she hated to admit it she knew that a child of Athena wouldn't be at the top of ancient being's threat list, and the second option coincided with the string of killings of children of Athena over the past thousands of years that had left her mother's cabin all but barren with the exception of her brother Malcolm and a few others.

This left her confused. Should she hate the man for murdering her siblings she never knew over the years or should she show some kind of loyalty to him for sparing her life? She supposed she'd have to decide if or when she saw the man again.

"By her look, this one seems to know something." She heard the voice of the goddess of the hunt speak up, interrupting her thoughts. "If you have words child on what happened here, now is the time to use them."

Annabeth looked up to see everybody staring at her, meaning the goddess must have been referring to her.

 _Ah, shit._

Would she lie to the goddess to further her own investigation more? Would she tell all she knew and get the man inevitably killed because no one escaped the hunt? Or would she make a little compromise? She found her mouth deciding seconds later of its own accord.

"I don't know much as the figures that came to save the half-bloods we were sent here for were all in black, I manage to catch some things though.." she saw Artemis perk up at this and gesture for her to proceed in an overeager fashion.

"Out with it child!"

"Dr Thorn, the Manticore that had captured the kids kept referring to a great stirring, something about masters, and then he called the shadowed men Spartans... But that's not possible, right?"

The goddess said nothing, for she was already storming back to her hunters.

 **No cliffhanger this time but we're now in the semi-modern age of PJO! Will be fewer timeskips now, though I do hope to get all the events of PJO in this one book and then maybe HoO in another, we shall see what the future holds! Please make your ways over to my profile and vote on that poll and remember to leave a review if ya liked the chappie!**

 **As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Much love and gods guide you, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Chrome.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! I survived exams! Hurrah!**

 **I'm currently on vacation but have managed to scrape together another chapter for you guys while I have sat inside some nights instead of enjoying the warmth of the Florida Keys.**

 **I just wanted to quickly say how much I appreciate every one of you who follows, favourites, and those of you who review that all have a special place in my esteem. Last chapter you guys did amazing and it continues to blow me away the amount of support this story gains with every upload!**

 **The chapter has been edited in more detail at this point in time and thanks to the review of the most recent guest I have tweaked the ending's wording a little to be more fitting with the situation. Thanks for pointing that out, you were very right and I wouldn't have thought twice about it had I not seen that review!**

 **Without further adieu, I give you the next chapter!**

Chapter 9

Turncloaks and Drakon's Teeth

"They'll be too busy foolishly chasing us to see the big picture, I assure you uncle." Percy pressed a hand to the bridge of his nose in frustration. "Right now we're number one on Artemis' radar, and eventually Olympus' whole radar if our identities are revealed."

Hades for his part had taken the news of the unknown monster leadership which was in all likelihood a titan rather swimmingly. Percy had expected the lord of the dead to at least show some surprise or maybe even the faintest touch of concern - he was not naive enough to believe the god would show perhaps a little fear - but all that had arisen from the dark figure was a simple nod of acknowledgement. It perplexed the son of Poseidon to no end, and he reasoned there must be something the man wasn't telling him.

The manticore had given plenty of information just by utilizing the term of a master, but now it fell upon the Spartans and their allies not only to discover who this force was specifically and how to defeat them but also to dodge Olympus at every corner in the process. This liege was undoubtedly the same one that the titan Hyperion had spoken of in their fight those few years ago Percy was sure, however, at the time the prince had figured that since the titan himself had been vanquished so too had his plot and any possible future spooky masters. Naturally, it had drifted from his mind over time as Olympus was his more pressing concern, and what did he care if the gods were about to have another powerful enemy? Just one easier way for justice for most of them as far as he was concerned, but then again there were also those few gods he could not allow such a fate like his father and Ares.

Ah, but what would the world be without such complex difficulties?

While Hades was the direct image of cool and collected at this time, the same could not be said for Ares. The god of war was pacing in his own little corner of Hades' throne room mumbling to himself fervently. Of what Percy knew not, however, the minute he had mentioned the master of the monsters Ares had entered his own little world and began mumbling what the prince of Sparta could only assume were possibilities to himself. He truly knew this had affected him more than he was letting on however when Ares only waved a dismissive hand at the knowledge that the Artemis' hunt had been but moment behind the Spartan escape, for there was only one who loathed the goddess and her handmaidens more than he, and it was Ares.

Once he had arrived in the underworld, notifying Hades and his patron of the situation had been the foremost of Percy's priorities right next to making sure the god's children were safe and sound. They were, regardless of the girl's complaints and 'threats', so he had moved on to the more pressing matters and here they now stood. He had contemplated contacting his father as well, but he knew that doing so would only put him in more unneeded potential spotlight. No, Ares would be the one to inform Poseidon of the events that had and would transpire as a result of this meeting, of that Percy was sure and he could rest easy with it in mind.

"Regardless of lust for hunting you down Artemis will be duty bound to inform Olympus of any threat mentioned by the monster. She is a misguided warrior to be sure, but a loyal one all the same." Hades was now leaning on his right arm upon his throne in a leisurely fashion as he spoke, giving off the impression of carelessness, however, any that knew the god knew this meant he was in actuality paying complete attention. "Olympus will undoubtedly investigate the claim made by this manticore creature and this is where you will come in Spartan."

Percy looked to Ares for his patron's approval in all this, but at the god's simple nod he raised a brow. Nobody ordered Ares' men around except him, so this had affected the god more than even Perseus had initially believed.

"If my lord Ares has no dispute, my men and I can trail whoever it is Olympus sends to investigate. But, may I ask why I shouldn't simply conduct my own investigation that would be ten times the efficiency and be done in half the time?" The prince questioned, reasonably offended slightly.

Hades frowned at this before responding.

"Of course I recognize that you could do it better young one, do not presume to think I judge your ability or that of your men. I do however also recognize that the closer to Olympus you are, the harder it will be for them to find you. Where is the last place you think Artemis would look for her public enemy number one?"

"Right under her nose, of course.." Ares spoke finally, breaking his pacing to actually take part in the discussion.

"This is all well and good, but my men and I can more than handle the goddess. We've hidden from her for more than enough time now and know what we're doing."

"Peace Perseus, for the love of the gods look past your pride and recognize this is the best way. If this is as bad as we fear.." The lord of the dead looked away at that, having said too much.

"What? What then? How can I accomplish this task for you if I don't even know why!" Percy cried out in frustration, he was used to getting straight answers when he asked for them.

"We fear the Titans might be rising again." Ares said softly.

Percy's eyes widened as the statement hit him. Hyperion had been alone, and that fight had required both he and his patron - some of the greatest fighters of the Greek world - and a cheap surprise attack to effectively bring it to an end… or at least what they had naively thought to be the end. Perhaps it was hubris, but Percy believed this was a war that could be used in his favour.

If he was sure about one thing, it was that many of the minor gods would flock to the Titans banners should they truly raise them. For the most part, the council's arrogance and superiority had left a sour taste in most of their mouths and they were ripe for war. The prince felt, however, that with a few nudges here and there, they might be more inclined to side with a more favourable enemy of Olympus, one whose motives were written in history and who unlike Kronos would not seek to destroy the world once he had won his war. This was Percy's chance, this was his army.

"I will do this thing, but while I am gone I need you both to do something as well." The Spartan responded after his brief processing time to the two gods, who both grew guarded and curious expressions upon hearing him.

"Speak plainly soldier, riddles belong with the sun god." Ares jested half-heartedly.

"While I am gone, you must rally support with the minor gods. This need not be a war of only two parties, but rather three. If we can raise armies of our own, I would strike my banners in the open at last and make war upon the world that has left my people in darkness for millennium!"

Neither of the gods changed the look on their faces for what seemed like an eternity, but eventually, a small smile broke out from Ares stone cold exterior and he walked up to Percy with his forearm outstretched.

"You're either a complete bloody fool, or an utter genius, but either way I will support this plan. I will see who I can gather. Spartan, you may even have more allies on the Olympian council then you realize. I will watch over you and your men on your quest as well, make sure you find out what we're up against!" Following a firm grasp of the prince's own forearm, the god walked out of the throne room and vanished away, undoubtedly to begin his work immediately.

"I do not fully share Ares' complete optimism in this matter Spartan, but I will admit the offer is tempting. To finally be able to right the wrongs I have been dealt by my brother and his snobs for almost my entire existence… well, I cannot deny it has a certain appeal. With my own strength and that of Ares' and Poseidon's combined to that of the minor gods and their children, perhaps we can stand against Olympus. I fear however that you are underestimating what is required to maintain a war on two fronts, especially two fronts as strong as these will be. The Titans are no joke, and Olympus is not lacking for strength of their own even without Ares and Poseidon. And to divide the forces of the gods against the Titans could prove to be fatal." The god sighed before he shook his head. "I suppose I am just asking that you think this over very clearly before you go through with it."

Percy nodded and bowed before he made to turn and leave, but was stopped at the door.

"Do not think I will forget what you have done for my children and I Spartan. When the time comes I will be there, but remember not to let your quest for vengeance corrupt your morals in support of the greater good."

The prince said nothing as he proceeded to exit.

~LB~

"So, why are we watching kids again at this hour of night? I feel like a pedophile and I don't like it." Baruch said while bouncing on his toes from his position in the darkness on the outskirts of camp half-blood.

"We are waiting so that we can track the demigods as they quest for whatever it is we're looking for." Responded Percy, not really bothering to pay attention to see if the son of Eris offered a retort.

Some of the minor gods it seemed had already been convinced by Ares to side with them, and Ares had sent Percy word that one of the children of said gods had passed on information that the quest for this big bad boss of monsters was leaving that morning. Naturally there was a complication, however, Percy was conflicted on how to feel about it this time. Artemis had apparently been kidnapped by the enemy, which in and of itself was still an unknown entity in terms of certainty, and the hunters were on this quest to save her at the same time as discovering who it was that had taken her in the first place.

Now, this provided a distraction from the prince's main goal and meant the goddess herself would likely be in the same location as his target information. What's more, it also meant there would be at least a few hunters in the group the Spartans would be tracking and while Percy's men may outskill the band of virgins in most fields, that didn't mean they were completely without. This would in the end certainly be more difficult than it would've been to follow a quest of clueless demigods, but as an added perk they wouldn't have the risk of the hunters tracking them throughout.

He did, however, have to deal with Zoe Nightshade, who was apparently leading this soiree.

That subject was a rather grey area in Percy's head. Here was a ghost from his past who seemed to keep coming back to haunt him these days, and he didn't like ghosts to begin with even before this. Before, he had simply thought her dead and had made his peace with it. It had taken time, but he had done it. Now that he knew she was not only very much alive but working with the murderous traitors that helped killed his people… well, if ever there was a justified reason to hate one you once trusted it was that.

He knew not what reasons she had for it, by Hades he knew not whether she had even taken part in the slaughter of Sparta itself that Ares had shown him glimpses of all those years ago, but so long as she fought for the goddess of the hunt she would be his enemy. There was a small pang in his heart as he came to this realization, and though he cursed himself for his weakness he did nothing to truly suppress the feeling. It was the little things that popped up every now and then that kept him feeling human these days. Or at least that's what he told himself to justify it.

Percy had assembled what men he could on such short notice, bringing along Imbrus, Alekos, Cletus, Baruch and Flavian while he left Andros back to manage and coordinate the men in his absence. Almost all had come with midnight black bows from the finest section of the Spartan armoury, and then of course their weapons of choice on the side. This was, however, a mission where they were to remain out of sight to the best of their ability, so they would generally be fighting from a distance if at all.

Alekos was the poorest shot of the group - arguably of the whole remnant - so he instead was sporting a more modernized crossbow. He was spared little mockery by Flavian the natural archer, but Percy was sure that when it came down to it all his men could hit their marks. His father had provided the transportation for the group this time around, Percy smiled as he ran his hand down the mane of his pegasus and fed it an apple. The creature was a supposed descendant of his companion Mavros all those years ago, though he certainly lacked the manner of the well-trained horse.

 _Thanks bossman, you wanna throw in another one or maybe even a doughnut? I feel like its gonna be a long ride, and you know old Blackjack needs his energy!_

The prince smiled and rolled his eyes, but quickly focused in as the camp van sped down the road right past them. Kicking his heels lightly into the sides of his mount, he and his men took to the sky after it in pursuit.

Now, the waiting game had begun.

~LB~

Theseus was not having the best of days. It had been bad enough following his friends for gods only knew how long on his pegasus after a successful grand theft flying horse, and to make matters worse after they had stopped at the museum and Theseus had spotted Luke Castellan the traitor of Olympus. He couldn't have just ignored it with his friends so close by and in danger. No, the son of Poseidon had to be the hero and find out what the cretin was up to.

And so it was that he found himself sitting behind a pillar eavesdropping as Luke spoke with two other people, one who he kept referring to as The General and another as Cyrus. Originally Theseus had intended to simply sneak out once he had learned the plans of the evildoers, but that had been cut off abruptly as two armed mortals stepped into the room guarding the only exit and preventing the sole possible escape for an amateur sneak artist like himself.

He had no choice now but to sit and listen as The General raged on about some sort of drakon teeth and the powers they held again. Theseus thought it was all just a bunch of bologna at first, but then as they turned into undead creatures the man referred to as Spartoi he began to realize the error in his quick leap to conclusions. He shuddered as the man laughed and praised the prowess of the creatures and they trio began to make their way over in his direction, which also happened to be the direction of the door.

"These wonderful beasts will track down that hunter wretch of a lieutenant with ease, set your mind to rest Cyrus. Once she is dead, and perhaps that other hunter with her, I have no doubt the little demigods will be easy to dismiss and then you young luke may have your shot at convincing our new potential asset that she would be better served fighting for us." The General droned on.

"If I may, sir." Luke cut in almost like an intimidated dog in his actions. "Zoe Nightshade is-"

"I will not suffer her name to be spoken in my presence!" The General boomed, cutting off the demigod fiercely as he rounded on him.

"Suffer it or not big guy she's a real threat, and what makes you think these basic creatures can cut down the lieutenant of the hunt? She's no pushover, and they don't even know where she is." The one called Cyrus spoke up as he twirled a dagger around the fingers of his right hand, seemingly not caring either way what The General responded with.

"Ah but that is where this comes in, Spartan." Theseus had to stifle a gasp as the monster of a man produced a small grey piece of fabric that he'd recognize anywhere as a piece from a hunter's clothing. "They can track them with ease so long as they have the scent."

Theseus had been a hero many times in his past, but at that very moment he had a hard time coming to grips with it. He couldn't let them go after his friends! The rational thing would have been to get out of there as fast as he could and warn them so they could get a head start at least, but right now he was panicking more than thinking rationally and so he acted accordingly. Time seemed to freeze as he leapt out from behind his hiding spot and tore the fabric from The General's hands, tossing it into a nearby brazier. It seemed to unfreeze as he stood there like a fool frozen, unsure of what to do next.

"Well, that was unexpected. I mean I knew the kid was there but didn't see that coming. You're an idiot little guy but you got balls, I'll give you that." Cyrus mocked him from his place to the right of The General.

Theseus was able to get his first proper look at both men for the first time as they stood seemingly towering in front of him. Cyrus wore traditional Greek bronze hoplite armour complete with a giant round hoplon shield and a Corinthian helmet tucked under his arm. The helm was a beauty itself, with two metal prongs sticking out that curved inwards with white horsehair lined along there sides pointing outwards. Each piece of his armour it seemed was a mixture of black outlined by golden trim, with the exception of his shield which bore a red lambda symbol shining proudly on display. His face bore a long scar from his left cheek down to the lower part of his neck, and his dark piercing brown eyes seemed to burrow into Theseus' soul even more so than the cold expression permanently etched into his features.

The General was a much larger being, and it was clear at this distance that he could not simply be a demigod or mortal, but rather something much stronger entirely. His massive frame was highlighted by the fact that even his muscles seemed to have muscles, and his strong chin and disapproving frown gave him the condescending look of a disappointed superior. At this point in time, it was very obvious that the man or whatever he was, was far from a happy camper.

"A pity, I suppose we'll just have to torture you and draw your friends in child." The general spoke softly as he snapped his fingers and the two mortal guards began advancing on him.

Theseus quickly drew his sword Riptide by uncapping the pen whose form it took while dormant and frantically tried to think of a way out. He spun about looking between the powerful beings ahead of him and the mortals advancing from behind and he was simply at a loss. Perhaps if he could pull some water up from the running sewer pipes he could feel below him? He figured it was worth a shot so he closed his eyes to concentrate, but before he could actually feel any of the water responding to him he heard the mortal guards cry out in pain. Opening his eyes, Theseus stood shocked to see men dress in the same decorum from the night they had gone to Westover Hall to save those two demigod kids standing where the guards once were with weapons drawn and ready. Four of them were on the ground, while two more sat perched on ledges just below the roof with bows at the ready.

"Get out of here kid, but make sure you remember that you didn't see us here." The man at the forefront of the group spoke in a soft but authoritative tone that brokered no dispute.

Theseus was brave but he wasn't an idiot. He knew these Spartoi and high ranking enemies in the monster army would make quick work of him together, so he nodded his thanks to the men in black and brushed past them to the door and ran off to find his pegasus and warn his friends.

~POV Swap to Percy~

"Cyrus you traitor, it's been a while." Alekos said with a snarl as he, like most of the Spartans with the exception of Percy, glared at the man with a burning hatred.

"Alekos you dimwitted fool, it hasn't been long enough." Cyrus said with a semi-smirk as he placed his helmet on his head and pulled out a spear from what had previously taken the form of a metal toothpick.

"I suppose everybody is just dropping in these days, society has truly downgraded I tell you." The General said from the middle of the trio of evildoers.

"Not that I disagree with you, but shouldn't you be holding up a sky somewhere Atlas?" Cletus asked from his place on Percy's left.

The titan of endurance chuckled and simply nodded his head, however without giving a true answer he turned around and began heading towards the back of the room. Once there he proceeded to punch a hole in the wall before turning to the others in the room.

"Deal with them, I have more important matters to attend to." As he walked out what seemed like a full contingent of mortal mercenaries poured through the breach he had created, and Percy smiled a little in anticipation of the battle to come.

"Fear not Polemarch, your death will be quick and painless. Unlike many of my brothers who died following you." Cyrus spoke bringing out a primal rage in the prince.

Of course, he knew what he was talking about. The crusades had been a catastrophic failure in most respects entirely and they had lost a good many Spartans fighting in them. Then, of course, there had been countless Spartans who had laid down their lives for the prince in the past, and he'd have rathered it was he than them in every case. But Percy would always stand by his decision to fight the evils they had prevented in their eternal wars for peace. The concept of peace was only ever achievable by good men laying down their lives, and the Spartans knew this better than anyone.

"Your rebellion ends today Cyrus." Percy said simply as he drew his sword and activated his shield from his wristwatch while charging straight at him.

The armoured former officer smiled evilly as he too advanced upon the prince to meet him halfway, and as his shield caught the blade of the son of Poseidon in a mighty clash, chaos erupted throughout the building and the Spartans began taking on Luke and the mortals. Percy heard gunshots going off and the cries of wounded mortals, but he had no time to focus on those events as Cyrus was a very skilled spearman.

In truth, he was one of Percy's former best fighters. The man had been groomed from nothing by the prince for greatness, and though he was two years Percy's elder he had always considered the man as in a sense his protege. He had a natural talent with both blade and spear from the start, and it seemed he had greatly improved on those skills over the years. The prince did not struggle to keep up with him, but it was certainly a hard fight.

The two went blow for blow. Percy would narrow the gap when he could in an attempt to get inside his opponent's guard only to be pushed back, while Cyrus would attempt to keep the prince at a distance most effective for his spear as much as possible to hold advantage only to have the prince counter by pushing forward. This was a battle destined to go a long time, but fate it seemed had other plans. Percy managed to get a lucky gash in on Cyrus' left leg just above the greave, and as the elder Spartan let his guard slip ever slightly while he grunted in pain the prince made to finish him off.

Before he could do so, however, Cyrus pushed him back and disappeared into the crowd of fighters after a snarl of "This isn't over!" escaped his lips.

Percy made to pursue, but looking around he realized with an annoyed grip on his mind that the Spartoi were gone. And if they were gone, they must have had a scent, but he had watched his half-brother remove the fabric from play so he didn't understand who it was they could be tracking. Then, the realization hit him like a truck and he cursed himself for not comprehending sooner.

The Spartoi would no longer be tracking Zoe Nightshade, they would be tracking Theseus who would lead them right to the quest. He didn't care much either way, but the kid was his brother and if the quest failed so too did his original objective; plus the headache he'd get from Ares and Hades was reason enough to ensure that didn't happen if he could help it. He looked back into the fighting with a scowl and bore his swords. They'd make quick work of the remaining mortals and be off, success was never a possibility but a predetermined fact.

 **Done! Lemme know whatcha think by spreading some love in the reviews! I can't believe how many the last chapter got and I hope you guys can replicate that again!**

 **NOTICE: The poll for backstory portion will be closing on January 10th, so make sure you get your vote in before that because the vote is at a dead tie right now and there haven't been nearly as many votes as this story has viewers!**

 **As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Much love and gods guide you, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Chrome.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Sorry guys, on top of midterms I've been through the ring a few times the past month or so and just haven't had time for this. I can't promise you I'll have the next chapter out soon, but I'll try to do it in the two weeks if I can.**

 **The poll was tied for a long while, but it would appear sprinkling the backstory into this had won out. Can't say that's the choice I wanted in all honesty, but I shall do my best to incorporate it in the best way possible - democracy lives on.**

 **I saw a great question in the reviews that I should have addressed sooner - apologies for that. There is in fact a great prophecy, but in this there is effectively two - the one for Theseus (or Thalia, not sure who I'll pick for it yet tbh), and the one for Percy which only he and some of the Spartans as well as Ares know. The two are effectively linked by their shared last words, but they have different meanings. Hope this helps Zxynwin, if I haven't explained it enough though feel free to inbox me and I'll try to go more into it! Lol.**

 **One more thing, I'm thinking about setting up a wattpad for this story and future ones - not sure yet but figure I should try to branch out to a site that allows me to create my own works as well as fanfiction. Will let you guys know at a point in the future when/if that happens.**

 **Now, you good people have waited long enough. Here, have a chapter.**

Chapter 10

Choking Hazard

Theseus had never been the fastest runner with swimming being his priority and speciality, but when the man in black had told him to move one might have mistaken his speed for that of an olympic track star. He bolted as fast as he could for the door and immediately tried to seek out his friends to warn them of the impending danger. It had been rather reckless and albite a little foolish to do what he had done with the cloth from Zoe's gear, but he couldn't help it when his instincts kicked in to protect his allies.

Prior to the beginning of this quest, they had been warned of the dangerous "men in black" that they had encountered at Westover Hall, but Theseus couldn't honestly say he believed them to be his enemy. Perhaps he was biased, as they had saved his life not only once at Westover but twice now with their latest surprise appearance. Maybe it might be a bit of what the Olympians would consider a naive opinion, but if the guys had done that for him he figured they weren't exactly out to get him like Zoe had warned. The way in which she spoke about them made it seem like she had encountered them a few times in the past at the very least, and her distaste was fairly evident in her tone every time they were brought up in her presence. Come to think of it, every hunter acted that way.

This was contrary to the opinion of the few campers that had heard about the men. They had been wowed by Grover's stories about the guys swooping in to save the day at Westover, and regardless of how the hunters spoke about them the campers still seemed to worship the idea of these heroes from the shadows in secret, but none so much as the children of Ares. It didn't help any that most of Grover's tale was made up, as Annabeth had informed Theseus they hadn't even really got to him till the guys had already completed their fight, so it was the little extra information Grover added in for his own measure Theseus was sure that managed to wow the crowds. He figured he'd have to tell Zoe - the quest leader - about the presence of the guys according to regulation, but he just couldn't bring himself to want to. The men had saved his life, and the least he could do was keep their presence hidden from the two girls on the quest who wanted them dead more than anything in this world. Regardless of all this though, he had to get to them first.

He didn't know how many blocks he had run before he got to the museum and saw his friends sitting together at a table. To say Zoe's features morphed rapidly to an angry glare would have been an understatement. The hunter rose from her seat and stormed towards Theseus cleary ready to begin her verbal tirade, but, with fear of the repercussions of it almost as heightened as his fear of the Spartoi themselves, he cut her off before she could begin.

"Spartoi. General. Bad guys coming. Don't kill me please!" She flinched a little at Spartoi, but the mention of the name 'General' had actually stopped her in her tracks. Phoebe got up and made her way over to stand beside Zoe and whispered something in her ear quickly while Annabeth, Thalia and Grover made their way over to speak with Theseus.

"What are you doing here and what'd you just say, this time in complete sentences or I'll fry you." Thalia, as ever, was straight to the point.

"Nice to see you all too." Grover and Annabeth smiled at his joke, but upon seeing Thalia's expression remaining as stoic as ever, he proceeded with jokes aside. "Long story short, I kinda unintentionally but sort of intentionally stumbled into a conference between some major bad guys. Luke and some dude named Cyrus as well as what seemed to be an immortal they kept referring to as 'The General'. The guy made some magical skeleton dudes he called Spartoi appear out of Drakon's teeth, they were gonna track Zoe but I prevented that by retrieving the cloth piece that would've been used to pick up her scent. I was totally done for after that, but those badass guys in black appeared out of nowhere again and told to me run before they turned to take on the enemy."

He stopped a minute to recover his breath, as the running combined with the rapid recap had left him a little short-winded. Thalia's expression was the same, Annabeth's had morphed into one of evidently deep contemplation, and Grover looked like he was about to burst with excitement.

"I knew they were good guys!" The Satyr exclaimed as he launched his fist into the air in a celebratory motion.

"If you're talking about the men in black again satyr, they are far from it and you would do well to remember that." Zoe had made her way back over to them at this point, but it was Phoebe who had spoke. "They most certainly not friends of Olympus, and they are dangerous. Stay away from them if you ever see them if you value your safety."

"But who are they, really?" Annabeth, ever the inquisitor, was quick to question the lack of information they had been provided until this point.

Quite frankly Theseus was just as tired of it as the rest of them, this was information they should be entitled to. He doubted it would change his opinion of the men at all, but at the very least he'd know who it was he had been dealing with.

"We cannot pass the knowledge we have to you without repercussions to ourselves and our mistress. If we could, we would. For now, you'll just have to take our word." Zoe spoke softly before fully shouldering a duffel bag she had been carrying at her side. "Ease your minds, we need to get moving."

"Look at the kitty mommy!" They heard a girl cry and they turned to see her mother spiriting her away in fear. The party didn't quite understand why until a pronounced roar drifted from around the corner and Thalia cursed while she brought forth her spear as a massive lion walked out into view. All members of the group readied their weapons, but to their dismay, as Zoe and Phoebe volleyed two arrows at the beast the projectiles bounced harmlessly off its skin to the ground below.

"Not just any lion, the Nemean Lion…" Annabeth stared at the beast in wonder and fear as she spoke with slight fascination.

Theseus honestly couldn't tell whether the girl was more amazed by the creature before them or more terrified, but neither would have surprised him with her. He, on the other hand, was fairly terrified. How were they supposed to fight something they couldn't harm? He wasn't the most adept at all the old legends but this was one he at least knew part of, and he was sure that the way Heracles had defeated the beast wouldn't be something any of the people with him could repeat.

Frantically he wracked his brain for something - anything - that could be of use but he was without luck. In the corner of his eye, however, a flash of movement caught his attention and he focused on the spot long enough to see one of the men in black just faintly in the shadows above the nearest food stands. He knew of course the man was only visible because he wanted to be seen, but he couldn't understand why until he realized that he was pointed down below him at the freezers full of frozen foods. Children of Poseidon weren't as quick as Athena however, so he didn't quite get the important until the man pointed at where his own mouth must have been behind the mask.

 _If his outsides are invulnerable, we have to hit him on the inside!_ The voice inside his head screamed out in success, although it was followed closely behind by Thalia's in the real world.

"Earth to Theo!" She was yelling beside him. "We're about to be mauled to death and this clown's over here daydreaming!"

"I have an idea." He assured as he began running over to where the man had since vanished from.

"That's a new one!" The daughter of Zeus snorted, but as he began running she called after him. "Where the hell are you going!?"

"Keep it distracted, tell Zoe and Phoebe to target its mouth on my signal!"

There wasn't any other response after that so Theseus had to hope she would actually listen to him instead of hitting him with a lightning bolt for not making much sense. As he got to the snack freezer he quickly reached in and grabbed two jumbo popsicles then turned back to where the lion had been to assess his best course of action.

Currently, Thalia was up in its face with her spear and shield combo barely able to hold off the beast's mighty assaults, but every time she made a mistake or slipped up Zoe and Phoebe would pepper it with arrows and force it into just enough delay for the daughter of Zeus to fix or recover from her mistake and redouble her defences. She had worked her way into the fight fast he'd give her that, but it would have hardly made sense for any of the others to engage the creature given their short bladed melee weapons. Annabeth and Grover were around the lion trying to help too, but there was very little they could to with their small weapons aside from try to distract it.

He ran as fast as he could in the creature's direction, wielding the popsicles in each hand as if they were fragmentation grenades about to go off at any second. Theseus knew he'd have to time this perfectly or else he and likely everybody else weren't going to make it out alive, so he waited until just the right moment when the lion roared in frustration at Thalia to make his move. He rushed in fast and with as much accuracy as he could pray for and possessed, he hurled one popsicle after the other right at the beast's mouth.

Somehow, both managed to hit their target and the monster visibly recoiled as its gag reflex kicked in and it was forced to hold its mouth open for a moment to try and force the foreign materials out.

"Zoe, now!" Theseus cried out desperately and breathed a mighty sigh of relief as he watched an arrow drive itself home into the lion's maw.

The creature's surprised expression only lasted a minute before it exploded into a thousand golden specks, doomed to tartarus for a few years of rebirthing process. With a goofy smile on his face he looked back at his friends only to be zapped by a bout of electricity equivalent to a minor static shock.

"Ow, why!?" He cried out indignantly as Thalia stopped herself right in front of him.

"You took too long, I don't like having to fight unkillable monsters longer than I have to." She scowled before her face morphed into a small smile and she playfully punched him in the shoulder. "Well done Theo."

Annabeth, Grover and the hunters too had come up to congratulate him as well it appeared as Zoe stepped forward to hand him what looked to be a golden brown duster coat. He raised a brow but Zoe responded to his unanswered question before it had even formed on his lips.

"The Nemean Lion skin, belonging to the slayer of the beast." She seemed rather monotone as he took the coat and inspected it, but Theseus could tell she was hiding something.

"You slew it, the reward is yours." He tried to hand it back to her, but she brushed the offering aside with a small look of disgust.

"I would not wear that trophy if my life depended on it - and besides, it was your plan that brought us victory. Take it, I insist." She turned as she spoke, beginning to walk away to signal an end to the conversation. "We need to get moving, there's Spartoi on our trail."

"Are you too proud to accept such a gift of old just because its owner was a man? Surely you can't have hated every man you met in your life, do you truly believe there are no good ones?" Annabeth piped up from her new place at his side as she admired the coat with him, and Theseus' eyes went wide as he looked back at Zoe to gauge her reaction.

Phoebe put a hand on her bow with a look of rage on her face but Zoe held out her hand without looking back to stop her. She turned just so that the side of her face was visible to them, and there was a faraway look in her eyes that for one moment Theseus' might have sworn seemed pained if he didn't know any better before she was able to mask it.

"Once perhaps, but one exception doesn't clear all. And Heracles?" She spat violently on the floor before beginning to walk away. "That's what I think of the calibre of that hero." The venom she placed in the word hero was enough to make Theseus shiver as Phoebe smirked and followed after Zoe.

"Such a bitch." Was all Thalia said before the three of them went after the hunters.

~LB~

"This is a bold scheme Ares, but I am glad to side with you over the wretched Titans any day." Hecate the goddess of magic declared finally after a long series of questions and unending back and forths.

Ares was sat in the corner with the mill of lesser gods in various positions around the room. Hecate in her dark robes and accompanied by a cat and dog was stood by the door to the small structure, while Eris wearing her menacing black toga was pacing back and forth on the opposite side of the room, her sinister smile ever present. Hypnos was about as awake as he could be with his teakwood skin covered by his purple wings and night robes as he sat on the nearest couch beside Nike, who sprawled leisurely in a glittering sleeveless dress while she starred as Ares; her dark hair in piled up braids circled by a golden laurel wreath upon her head. The dimly lit room would have made it hard for any mortals to see one another were they here, but the gathering laid out before the god of war was that of divine immortals so the darkness was far from a problem.

"I'll think about it, might be fun." Ares breathed a sigh of relief as Eris also gave her answer.

Slowly he and Perseus' plan was coming together. Ares personally had already rallied his sons Phobos and Deimos to the cause as well as Nemesis and that infernal godling known as Janus. They and their children had begun making ready for war already, and with the added bonus of recruiting whoever they could on the way as a factor things were looking up for the third faction of the upcoming conflict.

While Percy was away on his mission, Ares had taken a more active role in steering the organization of the Spartan forces. Andros was the prince's most trusted commander and loyal friend for a reason, and the god of war knew the abilities he possessed would have made him more than capable of completing the administrative tasks on his own. To put things simply, Ares was just excited and wanted things to happen as soon as possible.

Sparta had been his city. He was their divine protector and he had not been able to save them. Of course, he had done what he could by keeping their legacy alive with Perseus and his men, but that didn't stop the eternity he would spend dwelling on his failure and plotting his revenge. No, now that it was shaping up he couldn't help but demonstrate his glee. Athena and all her whelps would pay, Zeus and the others would pay and he would bring Olympus crashing down with fire and fury just as easily as he would destroy the Titans and all their monsters.

"Lord Ares?" He heard Nike ask hesitantly only after she had gently tapped his shoulder. "Do we have any other Olympians with us?"

As he snapped back into reality he realized all the minor gods in the room were staring at him now and he needed to reassure them if he wanted their loyalty to stand fast. Yet on the same thought, he was struck by the notion that if he were to reveal the names of his fellow conspirators and there happened to be a traitor in the midst of his assembly, then everything would fall apart.

The god had his suspicions, about Nike in particular. While her son's loyalty would never be something he questioned, hers was a little less strengthened and certainly untested. The goddess of victory was portrayed alongside Athena so often in sculptures and portraits for a reason, and Ares had found himself rather surprised when she had agreed to join in their plot. The convenience of it all had been a little uncanny, but Ares was not truly in a position to turn down would be allies so he would accept her until the goddess gave him a real reason not to. Was it dangerous? Of course it was, but so was everything else they were doing.

Then of course he had an advantage to throw at her, being that she didn't know about Andros' survival at this point in time.

"We have a number of powerful friends, fear not in that regard my allies. For now, I ask that you focus on rallying your children just as I have done and preparing them for their departures. We do not know when the war will officially break out, but we do know that it is coming one way or another. My soldiers will see to it your children are made properly ready for the fight, they will be educated in ways of war that foolish camp doesn't even know exist, and together as one we will bring justice to our enemies on both fronts." The god of war smiled at them all reassuringly as he summoned up a drink of whiskey and took a sip.

"Do all here know who these soldiers are exactly Ares? The so-called hooded vigilantes removing children of Athena and pissing off Artemis?" Eris asked, tossing her apple of discord from hand to hand with a sly smirk. "Make no mistake I don't care about either of those self-righteous whores, but if I do recall I have a son in the ranks of your people apparently and I should like to know exactly what he's doing." Her finale statement took him aback, as he had no idea she knew about Baruch, but he managed to play it off in his composure.

The other gods in the room murmured quietly at this, as of course they too had heard of the group. The demigods that had met them in their recent encounter had revealed the people to the council, and now Zeus was having a hissy fit trying to find them as well as his lost daughter Artemis. Every god with ears had known to pay attention when they'd heard this information as it was something far from uncommon. Many had made assumptions however that Ares was behind the group given his hatred for Athena and the men's slaying of her children specifically being a little too similar to ignore. Those before the god now it appeared had all made that connection; except perhaps Hypnos who looked just as lost as he did tired.

"It appears the majority of you already figured they served me, but it will surprise at least a few of you to learn that those men have been around.. Well for a very long time." He took another drink from his glass before he continued speaking. "These so-called hooded vigilantes, are the last of the Spartans. They carry the torch of my fallen city, and they are its righteous avengers. Believe me when I tell you, they will be more than adequate to train and fight alongside your children in the wars to come."

There was a stunned silence among the gods, none really having expected such a thing. Of course, they were pleased to know of such skilled warriors being on their side, but how had it been done? Nike took a hesitant step towards the god, her eyes just shy of a barrage of tears. Ares knew what she was going to ask before she even said a word.

"Andros still fights under my banners, yes."

The goddess of victory placed a tentative hand to her mouth to stifle her sobs of joy, and in his best display of acting Ares made his way over to her and put a comforting hand upon her shoulder, a genuine smile playing upon his lips. He knew not that the goddess of victory was so attached to her old son, and if this were the case perhaps he'd be able to sway her away from her possible turncloak motives. As he continued to try and sooth the goddess, Hecate put forth the question that he had been waiting to answer this entire meeting.

"Who leads them?" She asked hesitantly.

"Why who else but the finest Spartan in history? I made the prince's death convincing of course, couldn't have Olympus finding out he was still alive and working for me. No, that would have been counterproductive to mine and the prince's work efforts."

"You don't mean… him?" Hypnos was surprisingly sitting straight up now, sleep only visible in the very corners of his eyes.

Sparta's true history might have been largely covered up and altered by the Olympian council, but the gods who had been around at the time all knew the truth. Percy's name might be nothing more than a common boogeyman tale to the campers of Camp Half-Blood, but to the gods without bias in the matter it was one held in respect and slight fear.

Ares smirked at him before answering, "Perseus, the last prince of Sparta and destroyer of Athens leads my men and has done so since the fall. Now, he will also lead your children. Together we will rebuild this world in a fashion worthy of Greece, and I promise you when the dust settles it will be us, not the gods, nor the bloody titans should they rise, that emerges in victory." He looked around the room into the eyes of each god before proceeding to the center, Nike now somewhat in control of herself.

"How long have you lived under Zeus' boot? How long have you all been called lesser, degraded by those that think themselves above you? How many of your children have been crammed into the cabin of another god because you weren't deemed important enough to even have a simple cabin built for you? I ask you now, how long will you stand this? Change exists in our cause, and our cause alone - But I cannot do this alone. Who here will stand with us, who here will stand with the ghosts of Sparta?" There was no movement at first, but soon the god and goddesses stepped forward - every one of them.

"My only request is that I be allowed to see my son, right away if possible." Nike spoke up from the now fully standing gathering.

Ares' smile was but a simple shadow to the thorn that was his joy as he looked at each and every one of them. He gave a happy nod to Nike, not truly actually caring nor paying attention. Soon, he would have united the minor gods against Zeus and his loyalists. Soon, Olympus would be theirs.

Soon, Ares would sit on the throne of his father with the heads of his enemies piled at his feet. Conquest was imminent, and the god of war was ready.

 **So, there's that. Tyrannical Ares inbound, or will he stay true to honourable virtues? Hmm, perhaps perhaps - guess you'll have to wait and see!**

 **I would just like to thanks everybody who reviewed, even those of you telling me to hurry up - it's needed sometimes. We've gained so many followers, favourites, and reviews in such a short time and it honestly just blows me away whenever I look at it. Thank you all so much, you're the fuel to my creativity.**

 **Anyway, that's all I got for you today - be sure to check my profile from time to time, I post updates there when I'm about to upload a new chapter.**

 **As always, I hope you all enjoyed! Much love and gods guide you, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Chrome.**


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N**

 **My Monday started off by getting a measly 69 on a major historical comparative review and finding out I didn't get the main job I've applied for this summer, so apologies but I just wasn't in the mood to finish this yesterday.**

 **Lovely start to the week.**

 **Anyway, yeah I've been busy. About 6 papers and 4 midterms on top of countless quizzes and lesser assignments in the past month and a half so just haven't been able to step up here. I've got one paper left before the brief lapse prior to exams, then will be jumping to the full bi-weekly schedule I promised so never fear - lateness is not here to stay!**

 **You guys made your opinion on my Ares portrayal pretty clear in the reviews and I must say I was very pleased to see the majority of you like the way he's being done. As such, I will continue to roll with it this way for now - but with that said it might change in the future based on other character developments affecting him. Who knows? Well, I do, but you will have to see.**

 **I have just one direct review response, some fucking random guy, you made me chuckle, thank you.**

 **Next chapter I'm gonna try to do full review responses, I feel like I haven't done one in a long time and am neglecting my duties. Regulars, you are noticed, and I appreciate your faces.**

 **To everybody else that reviewed thank you again so much. The support was awesome last chapter and you've all increased my self-esteem just enough to have hopefully produced some decent writing in this one for you.**

 **I hope you all enjoy, here's the next chapter that goes a little into backstory and the beginnings of Percy's new army (THERE WILL BE MORE IN THE FUTURE DON'T PANIC).**

Chapter 11

New Age

 _1307 AD. The night of the betrayal of the Templar order in the Kingdom of France._

Dark. That was the first thought that came to mind as Theseus observed his current surroundings with slight awe but growing confusion. He was unaware of how he had gotten to the place he was currently in, but he couldn't help but stare at the medieval-looking architecture that surrounded him. It was dimly lit by the flickering torches that lined the walls, but the truly ethereal view it gave off was highlighted by the light of the crescent moon that appeared to shine brighter than the beams of a thousand biblical angels everywhere except inside the castle that he concluded himself to be in if his brief gaze out the nearest window was anything to judge.

From the high up vantage point his current location provided, he could see on the ramparts below many men scrambling around with weapons brandished; some already lying dead in variously differing positions that were given little thought as those still standing trampled over them. Smoke rising somewhere off to the west gave the indication that something had also been lit on fire, but Theseus had little time to think about this before he quickly had to spin around as voices grew nearer to his position.

"Traitorous bastards!" An enraged voice roared as three men appeared through the door at the end of the hallway which Theseus was currently stood in. "We'll take all those that we can with us, by Ares I swear!"

The men were adored in quite decorative armour as far as chainmail went, and each's surcoat boar the red cross of an order Theseus briefly recalled as being the Knights Templar of old. He didn't know that much about them and doubted the respectability of the little information he did know from childhood video games, so he opted to reserve his judgement until he'd heard them speak more.

While each bore a cross, there were notable variations in their attire. The one who had spoken wore white surcoat over mail displaying the blazing red cross upon his right breast and lower left abdomen. Around his shoulders was fastened a cape with intricate gold hemming along its side and another much larger cross in its centre on the back. What little armour the surcoat didn't cover was visible in the form of his shoulder pauldrons of pure metal and his decorated great helm.

The tallest man among them stood in the middle of his two companions from an imposing stature, his black surcoat standing in staunch contrast to the first templar but still bearing the red crosses of its contradictory sibling. This one too wore a great helm, but his surcoat and cape bore hemming of a bright red rather than the gold of the former. There was something about this one that struck Theseus in an odd, fearful way, and he couldn't quite comprehend why.

The final Templar seemed to radiate an aura of authority and before he even spoke the son of Poseidon had figured out he must be the leader. His surcoat was split into four corners, with two parallels favouring red and the other two white. In the white corners as expected lay two crosses, and his blood red cape bearing a white shield at its centre held the final number to complete the trio of the aforementioned symbols. His helm was red in the great helm design, but there was intricacy to this one that screamed the status of its owner.

The Templar in full white removed his helm as he made his way over to one of the windows Theseus had previously been looking out. The demigod had expected to be apprehended, however, was rather stunned to find that the man walked right through him as though he were a spectre in the progress of this. Theseus gazed down at his hands in wonder, perhaps to make sure he was still there, but he looked up startled as the Templar in black spoke in a voice he knew all too well.

"What are your orders, my prince? Fight or flight?" The voice Theseus knew belonged to the villain Cyrus was distorted due to the helm he currently wore, but the son of Poseidon's assumption was proven correct as he too removed it. The man's dark brown eyes held a certain softness that Theseus could not recall being there, however, and the scar that had prominently marred his features when he last saw him was noticeably lacking on this man.

"We will defend the castle now, but once this assault has been dealt with we will return to hiding with the survivors and those still loyal to us in our other holdings. The gods have played their hand today, but it was because they saw our order as a threat rather than because they had knowledge of our identities. We can be safe in this knowledge, and though it will spring from crippled legs our fight will continue in the shadows." The man Theseus had correctly perceived to be the leader cast his judgement as he too removed his helm.

Theseus took a step back and gasped at the face revealed under the helm, as it was one incredibly similar to his own. From the sea green eyes to the jet black hair, this man was in many ways a lightly bearded more muscular version of the son of Poseidon, and it made Theseus question if perhaps this was one of his ancient kin. He had little time to think about this, unfortunately, as in the distance the clash of swords could be heard and the Templars all turned back to face the way from whence they came.

"Perseus. What do we do about those from our ranks who have been captured? They could talk, and you and I both know this Catholic church is being controlled by the gods. If one of their officials were to crack an original..." The knight in white trailed off as he placed his helm back on his head and drew his sword, the other two doing the same directly after.

"A problem for the future Andros, but our existence cannot be divulged to the gods. Not yet, no matter the cost." The leader spoke and made for the door once more.

Nothing else was said after that, and the other two templars followed suit. Theseus had no doubt they were off to fight whoever it was that was invading the castle, but as he made to follow them he found he could no longer move. A glance down at his body showed him that he was slowly disintegrating, but before he could panic he was already gone, with one last image of the Templar leader's face etching itself into his memory as he fell into the void of darkness.

~LB~

Theseus awoke with a start and in a cold sweat, his hand instinctively flying to his sword before he realized it had all been a dream and he was able to relax. What he had seen confused him certainly, but intrigued him even more. This surprised even him, as he was not one of a particularly inquisitive nature, but for some reason he couldn't explain he felt drawn to the leader of the men in his dream.

He looked around and realized he was still on the train, one of many he and the group had taken in an effort to escape the Spartoi that would be hunting them. He rose from his chair and was about to make his way one car over for some water, but stopped as he saw Zoe resting in the corner with a bow in hand and a glazed but thoughtful expression maring her generally wroth yet beautiful features.

He knew it might be a mistake to approach the huntress, but he felt that he should try anyway as she looked rather lost. Of course, he also knew if he said such a thing he'd quickly have many arrows shot into many unpleasant places. Wisely choosing to remove the Nemean lion pelt coat he had been wearing still in his sleep, he approached her. The very small but still noticeable jump she made when he sat down in a chair across from her gave proof to his theory that she had been mentally elsewhere, but the scowl she gave also seemed to indicate she'd have preferred to be left alone.

"How's it hangin huntress?" He asked nonchalantly as he glanced out the train window, unwilling to meet her often times terrifying gaze.

"Leave." Was the response he received.

"Never quite the talker, are you?" The son of Poseidon sighed as faced her as he raised his hands in mock surrender.

"I talk when I wish to, to people I wish to. Now is not a time I wish to do so, and you are not one I wish to do so with." Zoe answered matter-of-factly, and she made to rise and walk away.

"Do you ever get dreams of the past?" Theseus blurted out quickly before she could go. He cursed himself in his mind for the rashness of the question, but it seemed to have done its work for she slowly sat back down.

"Perhaps. Why should I tell you if I do?" The question was harsh but lacking venom, a good sign.

"I just did and I.. I can't quite understand the significance of it all. I was hoping perhaps you could help me?" Theseus asked slowly. He had not come over here with this intention, but now that it was the topic at hand he couldn't help but feel invested in the idea. He wanted to know why he felt a connection to the man in the dream, and if anybody around him could answer that it was probably the oldest huntress in Artemis' immortal band.

"I.. might be able to provide some clarity, but I am by no means an expert. Speak boy, and I shall see if this dream is worthy of a response."

That was better than an outright refusal, so Theseus began to repeat what he had seen in great detail. The huntress seemed to be very invested in the tale to his surprise, but whether that was due to genuine drives or the fact that they'd been on this train for many hours with nothing to do he was not sure. What he was sure of, was that she knew the man in his dream, as she very quickly and uncharacteristically stopped him mid-sentence as he described the green-eyed dark haired leader of the Templars.

"Repeat that description, now." Her tone brokered no argument, and so the son of Poseidon again described the face of the man in as much detail as possible

"He looked a lot like me honestly, maybe an old son of Poseidon? But I fail to see the significance still." He concluded but it seemed that something had clicked in Zoe's head. She rose quickly from her chair and walked away, and Theseus was about to release a sigh of defeat before she spoke again, this time from the other side of the car.

"You're sure that this description is accurate? Did you hear a name?" She seemed desperate.

"Yeah, yeah I think so.." Theseus wracked his brain at the names he'd heard before a light went off in his head and he spoke. "Andros, I think."

She seemed defeated at this, but then Theseus quickly corrected what he recognized to be an error. "Wait sorry, that was the other one. This one was named Perseus."

Zoe POV **(I haven't really done one of these yet outside of an LB interchange so hopefully it doesn't feel forced! Let me know if it does and I'll try to correct it in the future!)**

Her world seemed to stop at the words that had come from this young demigod's mouth. How was it possible that the boy could know every detail, every gods-damned detail of the face that had permanently burned itself into her memory over her many long years in the service of the goddess of the hunt. The thought was so foreign, the time period all wrong, and the concept incredibly far-fetched, so how was it possible for a misguided dream of fiction to mimic the accuracy of reality?

She felt herself stumble on her feet and briefly heard the boy ask if she was alright before she willed herself rather ungracefully into the nearest seat again lest she risk falling over and looking weak. Her mind was a battle of thoughts at the present that would be incomprehensible to Theseus, and would not be willingly shared either way. His remark about the face looking like his distant kin had been the driving point in her thought process she had at that point believed to be far too far-fetched, but the name had solidified her suspicions.

All she could really think was how? If he was around for the middle ages was it possible he had received the gift of immortality? Surely the gods would have found him by now if that were the case. She had argued at many turns with her mistress after she had been adopted into the hunt about the character of the Spartan prince, but in the end, it didn't even matter **(Brownie points for the demi-reference spotters)**. Sparta had lost the war and its people had been crushed by the Athenian military in a very brutal matter. It was a distasteful and inhumane handling if the reports she recalled were anything to judge, but she had never ventured to the city herself. Perhaps if she had stayed with Percy..

No, he was long gone. Killed in a war that should not have been waged which tore the fabric of Greek society. His legacy had been removed from the history books and replaced by tales of nameless infamy in the name of a vile Spartan prince. Zoe had not truly ever agreed with the gods' methods in this regard, to spit on the memory of a once great man, but to them, it was something essential and their priorities would hardly be changed by the opinions of a daughter of Atlas.

The nameless Spartan was an evil presence now in the history of the Greeks, a man whose legacy had only ever been defended by the children of Ares due to their divine association with the city he hailed from. Yet, even those who were his staunchest defenders held him in fear, and the descriptions of the atrocities he'd committed during and after the Peloponnesian war simply could not be the Percy she had known and cared for. For years she and the hunters had been urged on after Percy's band of Spartans, indeed they had even been close at many intervals, but never had they successfully managed to catch them.

This was Artemis' greatest failing, and this was why when she had found a Spartan symbol in the wake of their encounter all those years ago with the warriors of Ares she had been both terrified and furious all in the same thought. If a legacy movement of Percy's band existed today then Zoe had no doubt they were warriors of great skill, greater even than they had demonstrated in conflict with the hunters, and they were above all else a very large threat if they held no loyalties to Olympus.

Alas, she realized she had been swept up in these thoughts and left young Theseus in awkward silence for far too long after he coughed to get her attention again. She fixed her gaze on him, for it had been far off for too long, and gave an uncommonly reassuring smile.

"I am sure that in time you will come to understand the significance of this dream boy, perhaps if you chance upon Morpheus in your future adventures you might ask him yourself."

"So, you don't have any idea who the guy could be then?" Theseus seemed unconvinced by her attempted redirection, but she was happy that he at least did not appear willing to push the matter.

"Perhaps a ghost of my past, I have seen too many faces to remember them all in my long years."

The son of Poseidon squinted for a good minute or two in an effort to crack through her defences, but she held strong and eventually he snorted in acknowledgement before rising from his seat and heading out the door to the next car. Zoe let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding as he did so, and for some reason she couldn't fathom a lone tear had begun to trickle down her eye.

She quickly brushed the foreign object away before it could attract even the nearest thought towards unwanted attention, but the small voice that had drawn the offensive material lingered on in the back of her head regardless of her attempts at repression.

 _I'm sorry Percy, I'm sorry…_

~LB~

Andros' initial impression of the recruits he had been given was one of disgust. The discipline the camp had instilled in them was all wrong, the techniques the demigods had been taught were appallingly sloppy, and the mentality they had in approach to battle was wholeheartedly crushing. He had to continuously remind himself he was dealing with teenagers and children of a different time than he was born into, children of a different stock than the majority of history would have recognized. When he was but a boy he had been a warrior ready to die for his cause, when he was a teenager he was already nearing on half his life expectancy and had been seen as the equal of all his brothers bar the very best in the shield wall.

These children had not been raised in the way of the warrior, but he had been doing the best he could and believed them to be making decent progress. A steady pour of recruits had come in in the form of the children of the minor gods, and he and his fellows Spartans not in the field or with the prince at the moment had been tasked with their training. It was not easy, but slowly progress was beginning to show in their daily sessions.

Andros had first set about organizing the troops into six larger squadrons, an imitation of the Spartan morai of old. These new morai were then each placed in separate barracks and encouraged to compete against one another daily in their tasks, but those that caused any harm to their own mora were strictly punished. In this way, the construction of a competitive rivalry and therefore urge to do better than their peers spurred on the new "Spartan" initiates, while the necessity to watch over their fellows in the shield wall was also keenly stressed in the unity of the mora. In doing this, Andros had laid the foundation of their system in the minds of these initiates, but they still needed to learn the limits of their competitivity.

The flaw in their current manner of thinking was being demonstrated below the balcony in the Spartan headquarters he was currently stood on. In the large training stadium below the new morai were divided into two teams and locked in an intense mock shield battle. While there were Spartan instructors at the backs of the two miniature armies, each mora also had their own cadet polemarch selected and officers chosen from amongst the ranks. These were the men and women currently in command of the battle, but these new leaders had much to learn in the form of instructing their soldiers.

The conflict pitted the first, second and third morai against the fourth, fifth and sixth. It was clear that the former trio had a better grasping of their tactical unity than the latter from the layout of the battlefield alone, but this was far from a surprise as the majority of the freshest recruits had been placed in the higher numbered morai. The sixth mora had pushed far too aggressively ahead, which had lead to breaches on both its flanks where the fifth and fourth morai couldn't keep up with its advance. Andros could tell from the smile on the mora polemarch's face that was just visible below his plumed Corinthian helm that this young leader thought they were beating their fellow initiates. They had apparently forgotten that in this battle those initiates were their allies, and that to endanger the shield wall was to lose the everything.

Within a matter of minutes, soldiers from the first and third morai were able to break from their respective rearguards and push into the flank of the sixth mora, effectively removing it from the battle with rapid precision. With the vanguard lost, the now divided fifth and fourth morai attempted to seal the breach but the damage was already done, and soon they had been divided and conquered by the first mimic army.

Andros' clapping silenced the room as in one motion all those present turned and respectfully saluted, their right fists all immediately being placed against their left breasts. It was not the traditional way, but since the Nazis of the second world war had stolen their old one they had modified the motion where they could. If there was one thing that was just as evil to these children in mental construct as monsters, it was Nazis, and it wouldn't do for them to be repelled by a simple salute.

"Morai, formations. Polmarchoi, step forward." Andros thundered after bidding them all be at ease.

On cue, 6 figures made their way just below his position ahead of the now orderly morai lined up to their rear. Each bore the distinction of their separate mora with pride upon the front of their helmets in the form of different coloured lambda symbols of Sparta. From second to sixth the colours represented were blue, white, green, orange, and purple respectively, but an exception to the rest could be found in the form of the first mora. This junior polemarch bore a black Lambda, but the symbol was also surrounded by a black laurel wreath to signify the mora's status as the finest of the six.

The armour of these 4 men and 2 women was similar to that of their soldiers with a few decorative differences to signify rank. Each wore a blood red cape like their Spartan instructors, but their armour was dark black in contrast to the regal bronze of the experienced Spartans. Their Corinthian style helms were much the same, and were each adorned with a horizontal mantel of red dyed horse hair as opposed to the officer's vertical style and the standard initiate's lack thereof to impose fear into their enemies. Each of these individuals tapped their spears once into the ground behind their black hoplon shields once they were aligned to Andros' front, this their way of telling him they were ready to receive his counsel.

"Today we have learned a valuable lesson, have we not?" He called down to them.

"Yes, mentor!" Was the loud response he received from the six in unison, but he set his eyes on the initiate bearing the purple lambda of the sixth mora before he spoke his next words.

"Polemarch Rodriguez, do you recognize the failure of your fellow Spartans as a result of your recklessness guiding your hand? To push ahead of the shield wall in battle is one thing, to lead a mora to do so is another entirely." The ancient Spartan spoke in a stern voice, but not one lacking compassion. He understood it was not easy, but it must be learned.

"Yes, mentor!" The youth, whose first name Andros briefly remembered as being Chris, responded with vigour. "My actions have brought shame to my mora, I vow to correct them in the future!"

"It is a virtue to acknowledge one's shortcomings, only then can we correct them." Andros acknowledged the youth's words and added his own, then proceeded with a smile. "But then, we must also recognize the success of our fellows if we are to triumph! Polemarch La Rue, polemarch Nakamura, your quick tactical thinking and capitalization of polemarch Rodriguez' mistake was excellent. Continue to express this good judgement, and the war will be ours before it even begins."

The polemarchoi in question respectfully nodded their heads in recognition to the praise, Clarisse La Rue bearing the black wreathed Lambda of the first mora and Ethan Nakamura bearing the white lambda of the third. These were his two finest polemarchoi in training, and he had very high hopes for the daughter of Ares and son of Nemesis. Clarisse especially had the potential to rival the Spartans of old in terms of ferocity, and Nakamura had a tactical head on his shoulders that would serve him very well in the coming storm.

With a wave of his hand Andros released the initiates to go about the rest of their duties, and as he headed back into the command room behind him they dispersed from the grounds below. He had spent many more hours than he would've liked in the room planning the war ahead, but today he did so with a smile on his face.

Their manpower was steadily growing, their discipline being enforced as quickly as possible, and the strength of their leadership was unquestionable. The minor gods were with them. Poseidon, Hades and Ares were with them, and all the children in between were flocking to their banners daily. War was coming, but from where Andros was sitting right now that prospect was far from frightening, it was endearing. With Percy at their head they could never fail, and with the right amount of gods on their side, soon the ultimate vengeance would be theirs, and neither Olympus nor the Titans could stop them.

 **A/N**

 **Before you get upset about Percy not being in this chapter, I'm sorry. I had to set up the backstory and while I had initially wanted to do so through him I thought it'd be a lot cooler and feel more natural if I did so through Theseus' demigod dreams instead, which also helps me to build the connection between the two characters. This story does and will continue to focus on Percy, just needed a little time in between to set the stage for him.**

 **I hope you guys like that little introduction to Percy's new army, let me know what you think of them in the reviews!**

 **Anyway, that's all I got today.**

 **As always I hope you've all enjoyed! Much love and gods guide you, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Chrome.**


	13. Chapter 13

**A/N**

 **Oh hey look a chapter, and it's not too incredibly late, are you the same author that's been writing the rest of this story!?**

 **Yeah, I really shouldn't have taken the time to write this in the middle of exams period, but I had an urge and here we are.**

 **Few review responses,**

 **Thank you to everybody desdolar97, SilentSniper05, divineboss2000, Death Fury, GreenHorn22, Guest, and Persona15 for your kind reviews! I really appreciate every one of you, your support really helps the story!**

 **Acidplatypus - Yeah sorry, I really gotta update more frequently. Depending on my job this summer that should hopefully change for the better!**

 **aesir21 - Correct correct! From some reviews and messages not everybody seemed to pick that up about Zoe, she's growing more aware of the circumstances and this chapter will certainly help that!**

 **Phoenix's Pride - I really appreciate that review, that's the kind of stuff that makes me wanna keep writing. Thank you!**

 **The Sorrowful Deity - You'll like this chapter ;).**

 **MasterTrident - Nice to see you again! Thank you very much, and yeah that's a very good point. I'd thought about it before but underestimated its significance. I think I wanna make it so Percy only accepts the crown when he's convinced they finally have the strength to march on Olympus and the Titans, so I'll begin to flesh that out in the coming chapters! Gotcha, yeah I found when I wrote with as many POV's as I did last chapter it seemed a little chaotic. I might do perhaps 2 POV's in some chapters, but never again more than that, lol! Thanks for all your feedback, it has been very helpful!**

 **Egosumpran - I'm glad you stuck with it and even more glad ya liked it! Hope that trend will continue, thank you very much :).**

 **I WANNA POINT OUT (because a lot of ya beautiful people seemed to miss it last chapter) that Zoe in her POV acknowledged the sack of Sparta as having been done by the Athenians. Make of that information what you will, I feel it's self-explanatory.**

 **Now here, have a chapter.**

Chapter 12

Oh Dam

"Andros says the new recruits are coming along well." Alekos read off a message displayed on his smartwatch. "Seems to be pretty confident in his abilities with the stock. I'll have to see for myself when I get back personally. Can't even begin to picture the kids from that camp in proper Morai."

"Shut up and focus, we're on the clock." His brother Cletus remarked dryly from his side, the pair's bickering having been a rather constant companion to the party throughout their journey thus far.

"Why are we watching a dam again? And why'd we send Andros home when the others could have just as easily carried out the new initiates training?" Alekos carried on, seemingly ignoring his sibling.

"We're watching the dam for the Spartoi and Andros was sent home because while the others are capable he is my best trainer. Now listen to your brother and be silent." Percy spoke up to end the chatter in an authoritarian voice, brokering no dispute.

They had been sitting on the rocky mountainside that overlooked the hoover dam for going on half an hour now and the restlessness was beginning to set in for some. Baruch as the son of discord could hardly sit still, Flavian had taken to drawing his bowstring every now and then and questioning aloud whether he could hit some far off target, and the bickering of the sons of Ares had far from just began. Percy himself was beginning to draw near the end of his patience as his control over his ADHD began to slip, but he knew that the Olympian quest would be arriving soon so he forced a calm to consume his thoughts.

He had to admit, the lovely weather surrounding them made it a little easier. The sun was shining high in the sky but the heat that it cast was far from unbearable. Perhaps it made blending into their current rocky environment a little more difficult, but all he was sure his companions appreciated it much more so than they would have appreciated rain.

He continued to take in the lovely weather, finding a suitable catalyst to distract himself from his ADHD, until finally the commotion he had been waiting for began to break out on top of dam. A single nod was all his men needed before they were sprinting in its direction, they hadn't seen proper action in a while and Percy had made them do nothing but observe as the Olympian quest made its way through the junkyard of the gods a while back. The quest seemed to lose one member, but overall they had remained relatively intact from his observations and his brother was fine so he chose to keep their cover. With the Spartoi he knew it would be different, there was no way these demigods could handle the things alone and from his vantage point, Percy could already see them struggling.

The daughter of Zeus was pushing some back with her lightning and the long reach of her spear, but the blonde one with the knife and the satyr were in full retreat in their own fights. His men would be able to hold the creatures off more than long enough for the demigods to get away, of that he was fully confident. He didn't care much about the quest anymore, but family was more important to him than he made it appear to others. He was going to make sure his half-brother came out of this quest alive, and out of convenience would also be able to slow down the creatures that were slowing down the party he had been assigned to follow. It was a win-win all around in his mind, at least when he thought of it like that, so he set to work scanning the dam for a sign of his fellow son of Poseidon.

Naturally, it couldn't have been easy enough that the boy should just stay up top like the rest of his comrades and make Percy's life easier. Oh no, for exactly as Percy leapt down from the rocky mountainside on the right side of the dam, he watched in annoyance as his half-brother and a red-haired mortal fled down a nearby staircase with two Spartoi in hot pursuit. He turned to Cletus while he began to make for the stairs, shoving past the mortals trying to flee the fighting which they could not comprehend.

"Aid the demigods' escape, kill these creatures or hold them off for however long is necessary." He made to fully leave after that, not bothering to acknowledge Cletus' nod of compliance before he remembered something and quickly called back to the son of Ares before he began to descend the staircase he had reached. "Keep an eye out for the huntress, the Spartoi could be the least of our concerns."

As his men began to engage the Spartoi, Percy quickly made his way down to deal with the two he had spotted chasing after his half-brother. He was acting on emotion and he knew if Ares was watching now he would be scolded for it later, but he felt he owed it to his father to at least try to defend his only other living demigod kid. Plus, family was family, as strange as it often was to think like that when one hailed from the Greek mythological tree. Upon reaching the bottom of the stairs he turned down the first hallway he saw and at its end, standing with their backs to a metal gate and surrounded on all other sides but one by rock walls, was his half-brother and some redheaded girl Percy had not seen on the quest until now.

He thought little of it as he rapidly approached the two Spartoi cornering the demigods from behind with his stygian iron sword at the ready. He noticed his follow son of Poseidon spotting him, but thankfully he wasn't stupid enough to say anything and give the Spartan leader away. When he was close enough, Percy brought his blade down across the back of the neck of the Spartoi on the right, then quickly pivoted to attempt to remove the head from its companion on the left. To his dismay, his attacks didn't seem to affect either of the undead creatures - but at least now they had turned to face him. He pulled his shield out quickly in time to block one swipe aimed at his head by the now very pissed off creature on his left and deflected another blow soon after directed at his torso by the creature on the right. He realized he clearly outclassed the undead warriors, but at the same time with no way to kill them this fight only truly had one outcome, and that was an outcome he could not allow.

Reaching out with his mind as he continued to deflect the blows aimed at him and backpedal, Percy was able to find the large body of water that the dam was holding back and begin to call it to himself. He managed a quick "Grab onto something!" to warn his half-brother and the girl before he saw the water stampeding down the hallway behind them. As the two quickly grabbed hold of the metal gate in front of them, the water poured through its gaps with a burning vengeance and rocketed into the backs of the Spartoi. Percy smiled as he willed the water to part once it was about to hit him, and it morphed into a confident smirk while he gave a quick wave as he saw the Spartoi flying by inside the ruthless current. He made sure to carry them with the water up the stairs and fling them off the dam before turning back with a smile buried beneath his black cowl to check on his half-brother and his fiery-haired companion.

The girl looked somewhat distraught at how soaked she now was, but Percy reckoned it was much better than death. His half-brother looked to be far better off. Having already dried himself with his powers, the boy was looking at Percy with awe clear in his eyes. It was evident he was about to say something, however, when the awe turned to slight fear Percy knew that something wasn't right. He rapidly spun to his right on instinct and a silver arrow flew by into the exact spot he had just been standing, narrowly skimming his shoulder and drawing a small amount of blood.

"Stay away from them!" He heard an all too familiar voice call and he was not surprised as he looked up into the eyes of Zoe Nightshade, her bow at the ready with another arrow drawn and pointed at him.

Her eyes screamed of a burning hatred, and she was certainly ready to kill him. Percy simply sighed beneath his cowl and entered a ready stance with his shield to his front and his sword resting on its top. This was a fight he did not want, but if it had to happen then he would not flee from it. The huntress' eyes were sharp and clearly assessing him, perhaps she remembered his particular hooded garb as the one that had stood up to a Titan alone. All the better to him, it would do well for her to understand who she was dealing with.

"He just saved our lives, and you're still going to try and hurt him!?" Percy heard his half-brother call from behind him, his position by the sound still apparently at the gate.

He could not afford to turn around, but his acutely developed hearing could pick up that clearly the boy was walking up behind him. This hypothesis was proven to be correct as the kid made his way to stand beside and then in front of Percy, his own green eyes locked cold with a sense of determination. Percy made to tell him to move, but the huntress beat him to it.

"Remove yourself before you get hurt, Theseus. You know not what this man is capable of." She still had her arrow drawn, but her will had clearly faltered with one of her own allies standing in front of her aim.

"Why should I? He's saved my life more than a few times now and all you do is tell me how bad he is. I understand you're angry right now, Phoebe wasn't my biggest fan but I mourn her loss in the junkyard too. Don't let that push you to do this, let's be reasonable!" Theseus yelled, anger clear in his voice but there was also an underlying tone of sympathy.

Bad move kid, she hates sympathy. Percy winced in his mind but continued to stay silent aloud. If this could be de-escalated peacefully then that was his preference.

"I will not ask again Theseus, move or be moved." The huntress' glare descended on the boy and he visibly recoiled, yet stood his ground all the same. Percy mentally sighed, it seemed negotiations would not do this time.

"Run along boy, this fight is long overdue and if you continue to stand in the huntress' way you might be next." He spoke, his voice very slightly muffled by the mask that covered up to his nose beneath his cowl.

The demigod turned to look at him with slight betrayal for siding with Zoe, but he shook his head and nodded. He gestured for his female companion to come up beside him and the two walked past Percy and then Zoe respectively in the direction of the stairs Percy had come down here from. Before he was far though, the boy turned with one last piece to say.

"This pointless fighting will be the end of us all. If the Titans are truly rising then we need to set stupid old grudges aside. Does that really seem so unreasonable?" Percy did not answer, thinking the huntress would do so for him, however, he was surprised to see her staring directly where his eyes were under his cowl.

Perhaps it was something about his voice she had recognized, though he found it far-fetched. The girl probably didn't even remember him after all the years it had been, surely he had long since left her mind. He proceeded to speak again, to address his half-brother before the boy made his exit.

"Old grudges are all I have, brother. Old grudges will avenge my people." This he noticed made the huntress look at him even more questioningly, though her arrow never dropped from its position traced on him.

He saw the boy shake his head slowly, following his shock at being called brother, before continuing on his journey to the stairs with the red-haired girl. Percy allowed himself a smile. He had saved the boy, hopefully earning himself the appreciation of his father and perhaps sowing further descent into the Olympian camp through his continued turning of his half-brother against them. He was surprised however in his musings that an arrow had not yet been fired at him, and he quickly voiced his confusion.

"Waiting for something in particular to begin, huntress?" He taunted, a condescending tone backing his voice.

"Who are you?" Was all she responded with.

"Why, I am simply a spectre of the past. Though I must admit, I am offended you don't recognize me, Zoe." Percy decided he could play a few small mind games here, and any advantage over an opponent one could achieve was never something to be overlooked.

From the way her eyes shot up, he realized with a smirk that his actions had worked. Alas, he knew he had to strike now or his advantage would be wasted. Taking no time to allow her to speak the next words that were about to flow forth, the Spartan lunged forward quickly while she was caught off guard. He blocked the arrow she released without effort, her aim seemingly having been affected by her shock, and he was quite easily able to close the distance between them as the huntress cursed and drew her twin hunting knives.

Percy bashed her torso with his shield before she could react, and she flew backwards. Her reaction time to the attack was rather poor, but Percy assumed she was most likely used to being the fastest one in the fight. He had learned never to assume anything in a fight, and mentally let out a tsk in scolding as he continued his assault. This time, the huntress was faster in her reaction and was able to rise to her knees, quickly spinning out of the way of his blade. She rapidly lept to her feet and lunged at Percy's somewhat exposed side, but he easily pivoted to block her blade with the shield on his left arm. With a cry of effort, he pushed her back once more with the shield but was disappointed to see the minuscule effect it had this time as she was only forced to take a few steps backwards.

"Impressive huntress, you're learning! And here I didn't think it was possible." He taunted, earning an overly intensified glare and cry of rage from the girl as she charged him.

Just as he had wanted, she came at him fast. So fast, that when he sidestepped and drove his fisted hand which held his sword into her chest, she fell very hard. To her credit, she was able to rise fast enough to once more block his sword stroke descending on her, but not fast enough to counter the knee he threw into her gut. The fight seemed to be growing fairly one-sided, so Percy backed off a moment to allow Zoe a breath. He did not delight in violence like some of his kinsmen, but he could not deny that every now and then a good fight brought him excitement.

"What's the matter?" The girl asked as she spat out a wad of blood. "Scared?"

"You humour yourself if you think this is going to end in your favour daughter of Atlas," Percy responded in a completely serious voice. "If you leave now, I will not kill you."

This seemed if anything to piss her off, though to be fair Percy had not actually expected it to work. The girl ran at him once more and Percy made to meet her, but then she did something he did not expect. Leaping right, she ran a few steps on the wall then with a fury brought down her hunting blades in the direction of his left shoulder. He was able to block one, but the second left a heavy gash spreading down his shoulder and into his arm, and he grimaced as he brought his sword around from his right in an effort to counter her next assault. He spun around to face the new direction she was attacking from, and with a mighty swing was just able to intercept the speedy blades in their course towards his torso. With both her blades occupied, he made to bash her again with his shield but the attack's strength was greatly weakened by his wound. Nevertheless, its purpose was served as the shield connected with her lower torso and produced a curse from Zoe's mouth.

Not wanting to lose his momentum, Percy pushed forward and slapped her knives aside with the flat of his blade as she swung once more. He made to stab at her chest but when his blade connected with the spot he was aiming, the only thing it met with was air as the girl narrowly dodged by rolling backwards. He launched himself forward again, ignoring the searing pain emanating from his wound as he hacked and slashed at any weaknesses he could spot in Zoe's defence. Slowly, but surely, he marched the girl back with his aggressive assault until she found herself with her back to the very same gate that Theseus and his companion had been cornered at only a small time prior. As the huntress felt her back touch the metal bars, her eyes widened and she knew she was trapped.

Perseus continued to swing, his sword almost invisible to the untrained eye in the speed of its movements. Then, however, once again the huntress proved her unpredictability. As he raised his sword, the smaller woman lept at his torso and used his shield as a stepping stool to flip over his head with her arms wrapping around his neck. Before he knew it he was on the ground staring upwards, but he quickly brought up his shield to cover his head from the inevitable knives he knew were coming. The two clangs upon the defensive tool's metal proved him correct, and he pushed the shield upwards to allow himself time to rise. He swung out with his blade in his ascent to ensure it would remain unchallenged until he was back on his feet, and when he was he glared at the huntress from behind his defensive stance. He was impressed by the skills she now possessed. Of course, he knew she'd have improved but she was proving to be almost a challenge even to him.

He decided it was nearing time to end this fight, and he feinted a downwards strike before shifting gears and swinging the blade in what was truly a stab at her lower abdomen. The blade managed to connect with flesh, and he grimaced as he saw it pierce her stomach. Zoe stood with her knives still raised to block his convincing feint before she looked down in shock at her new wound. As he pulled the blade out, she fell forward to her knees. She was defeated, but that didn't stop her from looking up and glaring into Percy's eyes as he raised his blade to finish her. He couldn't help the overwhelming sadness that washed over him as he mentally willed the blade to descend upon her, but he tried to override the emotions with the justification that it was simply revenge for his people. Surely, if she was a member of the hunt she knew about or had been a part of the murder of the Spartan homeland.

Only, the trouble was that while his mind tried to force his arm to descend, his body wouldn't listen. He found himself without thinking of it lowering his blade and tilting his head to look at her. He studied her visibly confused eyes and took a gauge of her character. This was not the same Zoe he once knew, but she also did not have the eyes of a murderer. He'd seen them plenty enough to know the difference, and he found himself questioning what he thought he knew about this girl he once cared for that had become his enemy. Perhaps it was just a moment of weakness that he could not defeat, perhaps it was something more, but he found himself calling the leftover water in the sides of the hallway to him to do something his comrades would have deemed stupid.

Tentatively, he kneeled down and reached out his hand to touch her wound, willing the water into it to mend the damage. Throughout it all she remained silent, not verbally questioning the act that was likely saving her life but also clearly not understanding the reasoning for it. Once he was sure that he had fully healed it, he stood and began to walk off, willing what was left of his water into his own wound and grimacing at the sting that occurred as it did its work. He was glad that Zoe had not said anything, but was disappointed to hear her voice pipe up from behind him.

"Why?" A simple question, overly easy to answer if one had a proper response. Percy, however, did not, so he said what he had wanted to say for a very long time to the damned Olympian council that had taken everything from him.

"I am not the monster you think I am, Zoe Nightshade." He would spew his grief through her as a catalyst. "I am a beast of the gods making, a creature of circumstance I had no control over." He turned to face her now, the pain in his voice threatening to break his carefully organized exterior of indifference.

"They took everything I had. Do you know what that's like, daughter of Atlas? Do you know what it's like to have your entire world ripped out from under you by those you thought were on your side? Do you know what it's like to lose everything you've ever known?" His voice was rising in anger, and her eyes had grown wide at the emotion behind it. "No. You are a pawn of the gods. You accept what they tell you for truth and you hold their word as the divine law that binds you. Well, change is coming for Olympus Zoe, I can tell you that. Perhaps you should consider how misplaced your loyalties are, next time we fight I will not show you this mercy if you're still this naive."

He turned to leave once more after that, his outburst finally being put under control even if he knew Ares would have words with him for it later when he gave a report of what had transpired here. Zoe didn't say anything more to him, he was grateful for that as he made his way to the stairs but of course there was always a complication. He felt her hand lightly touch his shoulder from behind and he stopped walking to allow her to ask her question.

"Who are you?" She breathed out, and her voice contained… was that fear he heard?

"All in good time Zoe, all in good time." He threw a lopsided grin on instinct. He knew she couldn't see it, but he enjoyed this game.

 **A/N**

 **So, I know that Percy's choice to not kill her might be a little controversial, but I wanna point out he's not exactly a heartless beast and he judged that Zoe wasn't a murderer like he thought. Plus, ya know, there's still a little something there - not a lot of something just a little.**

 **I guess I should maybe advertise here but as summer draws near I kinda wanna find a beta reader, if anybody has any experience with that or knows some good people please shoot me a DM. Not a for sure thing, but something I wanna consider.**

 **But, moving on! Should probably address that ya, Phoebe died for those that might've missed it. I don't like her character, I gave her an off-screen death because somebody needed to die in the land without rain, sorry. Make sure to leave a review to let me know what ya thought!**

 **As always I hope you've all enjoyed! Much love and gods guide you, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Chrome.**


	14. Chapter 14

**A/N**

 **I fell too far into the mass effect genre and honestly kinda lost a lot of interest in PJO at the beginning of the summer, then as I was about to get back into it I really messed up my hand at work so typing was impossible and then slowly just moved up to really tough. I apologize for how long it's been, but this is just a hobby to me and it's been too difficult to type until about a week or two ago when I began this chapter. I jumped a little again here, but fuck it - I want to move on in books and I'm sure most of you reading this know the Nearus scene all too well.**

 **I'm back at school, so I can't promise consistency on updates (though to be fair, when have I ever really been able to do that) but will try my best to adhere to the former bi-weekly standard I tried to set.**

 **Now here, take your chapter before I die for 4 months again.**

Chapter 13

Revelations

The Spartans continued to follow the Olympian quest after their engagement at the Hoover Dam. Naturally, their cover had been blown, and though they still stuck to the shadows they were painfully aware of the more frequent glances the quest members now shot to their surroundings. With this said, however, there was no malice or fear coming from any of the glances but rather simple curiosity. Percy couldn't blame them, were he in their position he'd be just as confused as they looked - especially his half-brother.

Over the course of their trailing spanning from the quest's encounter with Nereus to their current placement at the base of the new Mount Othrys, his fellow son of Poseidon had been constantly slipping into deep fits of contemplation. Percy knew it was likely about him, the boy undoubtedly knew he was a son of Poseidon but he knew that there was no possible way he could know who. Soon enough he would have to reveal himself to the boy and attempt to win him to their cause, but he recognized that his connections to friends would be difficult to work around. Killing children was beneath him, but if it was for the good of the war effort perhaps he could send some of the new recruits to get the job done and have his conscience clear of it. A decision for later, but an important one.

The Satyr had been dispatched back to their camp, but as Percy sat and observed the remaining quest members he pondered the options he might have in regards to the other demigods. It was unlikely the daughter of Athena would be turned, but the spawn of Zeus seemed to carry a slight begrudging in her actions that spoke of an anger to her current superiors. Percy decided he would keep an eye on her and make the call. Certainly, one thing that was blatantly obvious was that the party leader in the form of Zoe inspired no more sense of loyalty in her soldiers.

The huntress had become quite the interesting study. Since he had encountered her at the dam Percy had watched her attitude change from its formerly egotistical perch to one lacking in confidence and full of constant contemplation. He knew he was likely the cause for it, and a small part of him even hoped that maybe she had worked out who he was. If she did, then their next confrontation might be a bit more interesting - and that was something he was looking forward to.

Yet, at the thought of fighting her to the death, a weak part of him shook its head in non-compliance and he scowled at the notion. His old soft spots were getting the better of him far too often around her, and he didn't like it. He had spent generations mastering the curse of feelings, seen countless number of his closest companions fall in the name of his cause and had learned to subdue the pain. And yet he knew that unless his cause rested on it, the concept of killing this damned demi titan was one he would continue to struggle with.

Perhaps he might be able to sway her. He knew his men would hate it, but he could tell she didn't know as much as she thought she did about the hunt. He would get to the bottom of whether or not she took place in the tragedies the hunt committed towards his people, and from there he would elect which path he needed to follow with this. As the son of Poseidon watched the quest make its way into the garden of the Hesperides, however, he decided the time for thinking was over and ordered his men forward. Percy was sure he would be able to get his men up, but what they would find at the top of this mountain accompanying the titan Atlas was anyone's guess.

The Spartans made their approach to the garden of the Hesperides carefully and without sound, using hand signals to communicate in an effort to avoid detection. Unfortunately, this became slightly impossible when the Hesperides appeared seemingly from thin air in front of the prince and he ordered his men to a halt. After a quick check to make sure his weapons were all where they should be and ready to be drawn, he approached the 4 figures standing in front of him to engage in diplomacy.

"Lady Hesperides, surely you would not trouble yourselves over a few more pilgrims up this lovely mountain of yours?" The prince questioned sarcastically, his amusement at the notion prevalent on the tone of his voice even from its location buried beneath his face mask.

The confidence he seemed to carry himself with was not lost on the four demi-titans before him, and they all took pause to look at one another before the tallest among them spoke.

"The former party was a small inconvenience that shall soon be dealt with, I suggest you turn back while you still can." The lead Hesperide spoke with an arrogance clearly telling of her privileged ego, and largely confident in the powers that backed her.

Percy sighed before drawing his blade and slicing it across her neck before she could blink. The garden guardian was on the ground gurgling before she could even register what had happened, her sisters quickly falling to her sides to try and aid her hopeless figure. It truly was a pity, but Percy had no time for bandying words at the moment and their banter would have taken far too much of an effort. He motioned his men forward as he sheathed his blade, not bothering to trouble himself with the other daughters of Atlas in their distraught states.

The true challenge to crossing the garden was sitting ahead of them wrapped dutifully around the tree of the golden apples of immortality that so many over the ages had tried and failed to reach. The great hundred-headed drake known as Ladon was truly a monster to behold and one whose slayer would be granted much glory, but as with the Hesperides, Percy did not have time to tangle with the creature in what would inevitably be a very long battle.

For this, he looked to Alekos and Cletus. Of the men he had brought with him they had proven themselves to be his greatest and most powerful warriors in their own right, and the chemistry their shared genes brought them was rivalled by few in the battlefield. He did not expect them to slay the creature, but simply to buy the other Spartans enough time to get around it and then regroup with them when possible. He knew the sons of Ares would die for him in a heartbeat, but no matter how much he and his morals had changed over the years he was still a leader who always wanted to get as many of his men out alive as he could.

As he placed a hand on each of their shoulders, Alekos smiled faintly and Cletus gave a solemn nod. The brothers drew their weapons in unison and awaited his final instructions.

"Hold it off for us to cross, escape and regroup when you can." He didn't wait for a reply as he walked past them both to regroup with Flavian and Baruch, but he heard their battle cries as they moved to engage the hundred-headed beast.

The remaining trio of Spartans skirted around the edges of the garden as the fight unfolded, not able to spare more than a few quick glances at the battle as the sons of Ares held their own against a beast of the highest legends. They made it to the other side in a reasonable time and proceeded to keep running up the mountain. It made Percy flinch when he heard a cry of pain echo across the garden, but he knew he couldn't stop and turn around.

The trek up the mountain was a long one, and it seemed as though the winds themselves were working against the Spartans as they continued to ascend its winding paths. Surprisingly they came across no sentries posted, which surprised the experienced soldiers greatly. Surely this must have been the lair of the Titans that most were fairly confident were rising again now, yet they had no monsters standing guard? The whole situation made the men uneasy, and Percy gave a quick order with his hand for them to be on their guard as they continued on.

Upon reaching the top, the air seemed to grow a bit thicker. While this was not uncommon at mountain tops, the cause for this change seemed to linger over them like a dark and imposing presence rather than anything the nature of the human body could describe. No, the supernatural vibes cast by this location were the weighing factors here and Percy knew it.

The members of the quest became visible as they pressed further into the mountain's top and the prince raised his hand to signal a stop.

"Spread out and take up positions as you see fit, if I engage then one of you will join the fight, if not you will do nothing. If the fight looks like a losing battle, you are to take my half brother and escort him to safety. These are your orders, go." He ordered curtly, and the remaining Spartans nodded before doing as they were bid.

Percy himself took position behind a large rock and began to strain his ears to listen in on the conversation being held in front of him.

" - not have come here, it's a trap!" He managed to make out the words of a strained female voice, though, which one he could not say. Likely Artemis, which caused him to grind his teeth in annoyance.

"She is, sadly for you, correct my little traitor." A deeper more pronounced voice came to speak up from the shadows of the mountain peak. Percy didn't need to see the man before he recognized the voice as belonging to Atlas, 'The General'.

The scrambling and drawing of weapons were clearly distinguishable following this arrival, and Percy was sure the Titan would have brought reinforcements. Sure enough as he peeked over the rock, there were a number of cyclops' and dracanea, as well as a blonde younger man who Percy recognised from the meeting he'd interrupted between Atlas and Cyrus, and finally Cyrus himself.

The quest members were clearly outnumbered by great odds, and if the fight ahead were to proceed as it was he knew the Olympian quest would fail. This meant that before him lay two choices, both with their own difficulties. Of course, he did not want to aid the quest in letting Artemis escape but at the same time, the Titan's were the true threat right now. His personal vendetta against the goddess of the hunt was driving him to do nothing more than observe the fight, but he knew that duty demanded he join the fight against the Titan forces.

Perhaps he could make things work out so that Artemis remained under the sky and Atlas was vanquished, but he reckoned this to be unlikely. For now, he would simply wait to hear what Atlas had to say, then he would act accordingly. As luck would have it, it was the blonde demigod who gave Percy what he needed to hear instead of the titan.

"When lord Kronos rises all will fall before him. Thalia, Annabeth, it's not too late to join us!" The demigod had weaved a tone of pleading into his voice, but Percy could tell rather quickly just how forced and fabricated it was.

"Go to Hades Luke, you damn traitor!" The daughter of Zeus was quick to respond. It seemed she had not bought it either.

One word was now the focus of Percy's thoughts, one dreaded word. Kronos, the Titan king himself. If he was rising, or had risen already, then Percy had no time to waste in mobilizing his troops. This presented great problems and made his course unfortunately clear. Artemis could wait, his focus now had to be the Titans. And who knew, as an added bonus maybe he'd finally be able to rid the world of the turncloak Cyrus for good.

Percy leaned out enough to observe the exchange he'd been blocking out slightly, and he saw a group of telekhines had now run up behind Atlas to add to what seemed like his personal monster guard. The question was, where had they come from, and why had they just joined now? The Spartan tried to look around behind them for a hidden entrance, but he could see none. He made a mental note to keep an eye out for it so as to avoid being flanked as he rose from his position and made his way out of hiding.

" - going to enjoy killing you, little traitor." He heard Atlas finish his sentence, and he decided he'd comment in humour to bolster his entrance.

"It seems this is a day for killing traitors then! Did you hear that Cyrus?" Percy called out while drawing his blade and bringing forth his shield.

Every individual on the mountain had turned to look at him then, and he laughed at the almost cheesy movie effect it seemed to cause. "Don't let me interrupt you, please, by all means, proceed with your lovely dialogue."

His amusement was only heightened when Cyrus attempted to lunge at him in rage, but the other Spartan was held back by the firm grip of the titan of endurance. Atlas had a curious look on his face, which was put in stark contrast to the deer-in-headlights look his daughter was giving the Spartan prince. Indeed she had even lowered her bow slightly when he came into vision - it seemed she finally had figured out something about him. He smirked at the thought as he looked at Atlas expectedly, awaiting a response.

"You are brave Spartan, that I shall give you. Now, however, it seems that bravery will die on this mountain alongside these Olympian pawns." The titan shook his head in apparent bewilderment before continuing. "You surprise me, why should you of all Greeks wish to work against us? You should be spearheading our cause."

Percy laughed a little and shook his head in partial agreement before responding.

"You're not wrong Atlas, but while I'd love to see Olympus fall I also recognize that the rule of the Titans would be no better. You'd have me be the forefront of a dark age the world hasn't even seen under Olympian rule, what good would that be for the people of this world, or what's left of mine?" His words were wreathed in an underlying bitter edge that intertwined with the more prevalent venom placed in the statements.

"And what of the people? Why should you care for them? Yours will be taken care of well enough I assure you, if you join our cause you will become far more than just a forgotten prince. You will ascend to heights unchallengeable, our Lord will carve a kingdom out just for you in appreciation of your assistance!" Atlas spoke with a diplomat's tongue, but it lacked the experience of a true weaver of words and was cursed to fall on deaf ears from the beginning regardless.

"I will never serve Kronos." Percy spat, his defiance clearly unwavering.

Atlas for his part looked genuinely troubled by this for a moment before he simply sighed and shook his head.

"Then it seems you are cursed to die this day Perseus of Sparta, I will take pleasure in finally being able to snuff out the line of kings from that wretched city once and for all."

Percy heard a loud gasp coming from the direction of the Olympian party when his name was given as well as a scream of 'impossible', but he didn't have time for that right now. Atlas had made ready his weapons and was looking at the demigod Spartan expectantly.

"Fight me if you dare boy, perhaps you'll be able to give me a small challenge." The titan mocked.

Percy looked around the area once to ensure Baruch and Flavian were in position, then charged before anyone else could say a word.

~Zoe POV~

Since talking with the hooded rogue leader at the Hoover Dam Zoe had begun to heighten in her suspicions and had lost sleep many nights pondering the multitude of 'what ifs' that plagued her already troubled thoughts. What if it was him? The man that had saved her in more ways than one all those years ago that she had so recklessly abandoned in favour of the sisterhood that was the hunt. Was it possible that he was still alive?

She had until now come to the conclusion that no, it couldn't be him, but rather perhaps a descendant. She had berated herself for getting lost in such false hope so ridiculously, reminding herself that Artemis had told her that Hades had confirmed the prince to be dead long ago. She had then proceeded to try to convince herself that hope should not have been the thought in her head, as the only man she had ever cared for had also gone on to become one of Olympus' most hated enemies of the past.

Her emotion had been at war with her discipline, and following the heated exchange that raged across all fronts of her mindset the conflict's resultant effect had simply turned to sadness and regret. She regretted not staying with Perseus all those years ago, but she also knew she loved her life in the hunt, and she couldn't have had one without the other. She had finally been able to put down this silly conflict in her mind with the reasoning of the past being the past triumphing over the plethora of other rampant thoughts more recently, that is until she had just heard her father call the man in front of her Perseus of Sparta, last of the line of kings.

She couldn't help the clearly audible gasp that escaped her mouth when she heard it, it simply couldn't be possible and yet now that it was confirmed it all made too much sense. A million emotions rushed to her at once - these ones ten times more strengthened than before, but she was snapped out of it by the strained scream of 'impossible' that echoed from a voice that could only belong to her mistress.

Zoe, you must do everything in your power to kill the Spartan! She felt her mistress cry urgently out into her mind, but she didn't have time to respond before she saw Perseus charge into battle with Atlas.

She blinked once, not really believing anybody to be so reckless, then quickly made ready for the battle the prince had likely just kicked off. Within seconds the monsters in the room had begun to charge forward along with the blonde demigod that had spoken before and the man Perseus had addressed as Cyrus. Zoe fired off a rapid stream of arrows into the mix, each finding their targets in the foreheads and torsos at least 3 dracanea and 1 cyclops. As the monsters struck collapsed into golden dust she set her sites on the battles of her allies to see where she could help.

Annabeth was slowly being backed into a corner, her knife doing little to stop some of the telekhines that had begun pouring out seemingly from the walls of the mountain. Theseus was handling himself well enough in the face of a number of dracanea and a cyclops but it was clear that eventually he would be overwhelmed. Thalia was putting up the greatest fight of her survivors but the traitor luke castellan had chosen to engage her and because of this she seemed far too distracted. Things were looking grim for the Olympian quest, and try as she may Zoe simply couldn't think of a way out of this mess.

Then suddenly like a gift from the gods themselves arrows began to take monsters out one by one in rapid succession all over the demigods giving them a chance to breathe. Zoe turned to look for the archer and didn't know if she was relieved or on edge at the fact that they were, in fact, two of Perseus' hooded soldiers coming out from the shadows. One was clearly the archer while the other carried a spear and bronze shield bearing what looked to be a red lambda on its front.

There was no denying it, they were Spartans. Zoe had so many questions, but she had no time to ponder them for the minute the two Spartans jumped into the battle the monsters had regrouped and were coming back at them in force. Zoe engaged the nearest monsters she could see, one unlucky telekhine and a dracanea, but looked off to watch Perseus' fight for a moment.

The demigod son of Sparta and Titan of endurance were a blur of motion as they went blow for blow with each other in their great battle. At one point it would seem like the Spartan held the edge somehow, then quickly it would shift to Atlas. It was clear Perseus had expanded his skills over the years, but she knew even in her own immortal age she could not stand for long with a titan. The performance was extraordinary.

That was until the blur's stopped altogether, and in their place stood atlas with his spear having pierced Perseus' lower abdomen. The prince looked surprised for a minute, it was clear he had not expected the blow and had been caught unprepared, but he stayed standing nonetheless staring up defiantly at the titan as the immortal twisted his spear.

Zoe didn't know why, as her mistress had instructed her to kill the demigod herself, but all the guilt she'd felt over the centuries for leaving the man seemed to come crashing into her and all she could feel was fear, fear that the man who had saved her so long ago from a fate worse than death, the man that had taken her in when he had no business to, the man who she had cared, was about to die. It was a primal feeling of protectiveness that took over, and with a battle cry she killed both the monsters in front of her before cutting a path through the battlefield until she was within shooting range. With all the haste she could muster she fired a volley of relentless arrows at her immortal father before he could finish Perseus off.

The immortal growled in annoyance and while ripping the arrows out of his chest that had struck true he searched for the source of the inconvenience. He ripped his spear out of Perseus and kicked him to the side where the Spartan prince lay unmoving. Zoe would try to get to him later if she survived, but right now her only focus could be on keeping herself alive.

Atlas leapt across the hordes of monsters that only seemed to keep growing and until he was standing in front of his daughter, a sneer on his face.

"My little traitor, why, do you not realize that you have simply just sealed your fate alongside the Spartan's?" The Titan mocked her with a tsk-tsk coming out oh his mouth after his words. "Should you not be fighting the man, as your Olympians are sure to have commanded by now?"

The huntress did nothing but bare her teeth in a snarl before unleashing another rapid volley of silver arrows at her Atlas, but the effects this time seemed to be far less effective as the titan swatted the arrows away one by one before lunging at her with inhuman speeds. It was all Zoe could do to draw her daggers rapidly and throw up a defensive stance. She was a skilled and experienced fighter, but the minute her hunter knives met Atlas' spear she knew she wouldn't be able to keep this fight up long. He was much faster than her, and the range his spear gave him made it so Zoe had to attempt to get within his guard to strike at him - a near impossible feat.

All too soon Zoe found herself on the backpedal, frantically scrambling to meet the flurry of motion that was her father's spear. She didn't have time to look around, but from the sound of it, her allies were beginning to waiver against the monster forces as well. Step by step she was pushed back until finally to her horror she felt a wall pressed against her back signalling an end to her mobile defence. Zoe knew she had to do something, but as she tried to lunge at her father to force more space for herself she felt her hunting knives be knocked from her grip and watched in dismay as they flew beyond her reach. As her head turned a heavy force that seemed to be a boot hit her in the chest and she found herself flying backwards only to crumble as she hit the wall once more, this time with much more force.

As she looked up to see her father approaching with an evil smirk, she knew her life was coming to an end. She sent a quick prayer of apology for her failure to Artemis, but rather than pray to the other Olympian gods her mind then turned to the man she had just discovered to still be alive after all these years.

"I wish we had more time, I'm sorry.." She spoke to the apparition of Perseus that had manifested itself in her mind, the one man alive on that earth that could break her cold exterior and pierce the identity she had created for herself over the centuries and a lone tear fell down her face.

She looked down as she heard Atlas laugh and prepare to finish her off, but at the clang of a sword against his spear she quickly looked up to find that there was now a beautifully engraved blade holding back Atlas' killing blow.

"Plenty more time left in this fight Zoe Nightshade." She heard the strained voice but still found it hard to believe as Perseus stood above her protectively, the blade that had saved her life belonging to him. "But I may need you to get up and aid me if we wish to succeed."

She certainly didn't need to be told twice, and quickly scrambled to her feet to prepare for round two.

 **A/N**

 **Aight, was gonna write more for this but said I'd get it out today so had to stop there. Next chapter will hopefully be out within the next 2 weeks, I post updates on my profile a few days before it's about to come out so check in there in about a week or so if ya want.**

 **I hope the chapter has helped to bring some of you back to the story, it's not my best work but I need to get back into the swing of things.**

 **As always I hope you all enjoyed. Much love and gods guide you, for the night is dark and full of terrors,**

 **Chrome**


End file.
